Nearly three decades of experience and a determination to make sure a caller was safe helped a Gordon County E9-1-1 dispatcher locate an elderly woman who was confused, injured and in need of medical attention.
Dispatcher Deidra Daniel, a veteran telecommunications officer with nearly 30 years of experience, recently answered a call on Gordon County E9-1-1’s non-emergency line from an elderly woman who believed she was calling to schedule a doctor’s appointment.
Daniel explained to the woman that she had reached Gordon County E9-1-1 and asked whether she needed an ambulance to take her to the emergency room. The woman declined and continued to say she only wanted to make a doctor’s appointment.
As the conversation continued, however, Daniel realized something did not seem right.
The caller appeared confused, and when Daniel asked for her name and address, the woman was unable to provide either. Daniel remained calm and reassured the caller that help would be sent to check on her.
Locating the woman presented another challenge. Because the call came through the non-emergency line rather than 911, Daniel did not have the same location information that may be available during an emergency call.
Using the caller’s phone number, Daniel searched previous call history and was able to find a possible name and address. An officer was dispatched to conduct a welfare check, but the initial attempt to locate the woman was unsuccessful.
Daniel did not stop there.
Still concerned about the caller’s condition, she continued searching for another way to locate her and eventually contacted maintenance personnel at the property. Through that conversation, Daniel learned the woman had recently moved to another unit.
Responders were sent back to the property with the updated information and were able to locate the woman.
Officials said she was experiencing an altered mental state, had fallen and needed medical attention. EMS responded and transported her to receive care.
Gordon County E9-1-1 credited Daniel’s experience, patience and persistence with helping bring the call to a successful conclusion.
The agency said the incident demonstrated how going above and beyond in emergency communications does not always involve a dramatic moment, but can instead mean recognizing when something is wrong and refusing to give up until someone is found.
Daniel’s actions included recognizing the caller’s confusion, keeping her calm, searching available records, following up after the first welfare check was unsuccessful and finding another source of information that ultimately led responders to the woman.
“We are incredibly proud of Deidra and the care she demonstrated for someone she had never met,” Gordon County E9-1-1 said in sharing the story.
For Daniel, making sure the woman received help meant doing a little more digging, asking more questions and continuing to search when the first attempt came up empty — actions that ultimately helped get an elderly resident the medical attention she needed.