King County Executive Dow Constantine today congratulated four public employees, including a Maple Valley resident, who were honored for their outstanding contributions to the community’s health and safety as King County Emergency Medical Dispatchers of the Year.
Meggin Harris of Maple Valley, who works in the Valley Communications Center in Kent, was honored during the ceremony.
Harris responded to a man that called 911 reporting chest pain, which then progressed into cardiac arrest. Her calm and reassuring demeanor allowed the patient’s daughter to focus and follow her explicit instructions for CPR.
“When someone calls 911 for help, it’s the region’s emergency medical dispatchers that consistently provide information and care that’s needed,” Constantine said in a statement. “They all deserve our thanks for their calm and steady service, and this year’s award winners deserve this special recognition.”
Part of King County’s world-class Emergency Medical Services/Medic One system, emergency medical dispatchers protect the public’s health and safety with critical medical advice to callers and by making quick decisions about the best emergency medical care.
The awards recognize overall excellence and expert response to critical incidents, and they are given annually by Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Emergency Medical Services Division during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 8-14, 2012.
In addition to Harris, Kit Danichek of Renton from Valley Communications Center in Kent, and Stacey Montemayor of Seattle and Traci Caligiuri of Lake Stevens from Norcom Communications Center in Bellevue.
Valley Communications provides police, fire and medical dispatching in south King County, managing approximately 62,000 emergency medical calls in 2011. North East King County Regional Public Safety Communications Agency (NORCOM) provides police, fire and medical dispatching in the east and north regions of King County, managing approximately 48,000 emergency calls for medical assistance in 2011.
