A call-taker provided instructions to Port Alberni woman on performing CPR on her husband. When Natalie Rumsby takes calls as a 911 dispatcher, her jobs ends once the first responders arrive on the scene where the individual who called 911 no longer needs her assistance.

It is not likely that she and her colleagues at the dispatch center in Victoria to know about the outcome of their calls.

Life beyond the line

Edmonton first aid — Rumsby hopes that stories such as the Klocks will inspire others on learning how to perform CPR.

This changed last week when a woman from Port Alberni shared her story about delivering CPR on her husband thanks to the assistance of a 911 dispatcher.

Carol Klock shared her story on calling 911 after her husband Jack suffered a heart attack while taking a shower. Carol has not taken a CPR course. She administered the life-saving technique on her husband for 10 minutes while waiting for the arrival of the paramedics. She shared that the dispatcher taught her how to perform CPR over the phone. She wanted to thank the woman for helping her.

One of the colleagues of Rumsby who was familiar with the call read the story from the Alberni Valley News and informed her about it.

According to Rumsby, everything is done over the phone and once done, you must move on to the next job. It was truly heartwarming to know that he survived.

Rumsby added that it is a survival tactic where she does not open about her job. Upon leaving the dispatch center for the day, she leaves the job behind. At present, there is a lot of compassion fatigue and the job can be quite exhausting.

Rumsby hopes that stories such as the Klocks will inspire others on learning how to perform CPR.

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