On Saturday, May 18th, around 7:30 a.m., Dispatcher Alex Biehl was preparing to wrap up his overnight shift. At that time, he received a 911 call from a male party in Dracut stating his wife was in active childbirth. Dispatcher Biehl, who has been with NMRECC for about two years, helped provide Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) instructions over the phone to the caller after his wife had just delivered a baby.
Dispatch Supervisor Janice Judd recognized Alex: “He started the EMD instructions and didn’t skip a beat, switching to post-childbirth instructions once he learned the baby was out. While most people would be understandably nervous during this type of incident, Alex sounded comfortable and confident, like he had done this a hundred times. He remained calm and in control throughout the entire call, giving his instructions loud, clear, and slow for the caller to understand, and his demeanor calmed the parents’ nerves.”
NMRECC, which has been providing emergency communications services to the towns of Dracut and Tewksbury since 2020, has received thousands of medical calls over the years, but this is the agency’s first childbirth.
“This is a great example of having well-trained emergency dispatchers to give instructions before the arrival of first responders.” Dracut Fire Chief Patterson stated. “Dispatcher Biehl kept the caller calm and instructed him to assist the mother with the delivery and aftercare. It was a job well done!”