911 There In Time Of Need

Her voice provided a lifeline. The 11-year-old boy had just been shot by his mother.

He had the wherewithal to dial 911, and the dispatcher comforted, soothed and got the important business of lifesaving done.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Department recently released a 911 tape recorded Nov. 1, the sad day a Spokane Valley woman killed herself, a younger child and then wounded her other child, the 11-year-old boy.

The tape is painful to listen to, but heroism surfaces in the voices. The boy is brave beyond description. And the dispatcher who walks him through the information she needs for a rescue has an amazing calm in her voice.

Just the voice a child would need to hear after his world collapses.

This is the season of emergencies. Bad weather, holiday parties and traveling families will keep busy those voices on the other end of the 911 calls. Emergency dispatchers are trained to stay steady amid chaos. But it’s rare to hear the training in action.

So, thank you to the dispatchers who helped the 11-year-old boy and to all those in the important business of lifesaving.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Rebecca Nappi/For the editorial board