A 911 operator helps keep a baby from drowning after he fell into a pool when his grandmother wasn't looking.
By STEVE THOMPSON
Published April 17, 2004
Pasco County 911 operator Les Nichols is five hours into his shift. A call is passed to him from a dispatcher. Jordan Betancourt, 9, is on the other end.
"My cousin, he fell in the pool, and, um, he's dead. I don't know what, I don't know happened. He fell in the pool, and he opened the door, and he's dead!"
It's about noon Thursday. Nichols' voice is calm as he questions the boy.
"All right, listen to me. How old is your cousin?"
Just under a year old, Jordan tells him. His grandmother had turned her attention elsewhere, then found the baby floating in the pool. The baby is on his grandmother's lap now. She's trying to help him breathe. A dog is barking. His grandmother is screaming.
"Stay on the line with me a moment, okay? Don't hang up. Ask your grandmother if he's breathing at all."
Jordan asks. No, the baby is not breathing, he says, but his grandmother is trying CPR. A moment passes. More screaming.
"Okay, try to keep everybody calm, Okay? Tell them I have help on the way."
Help is on the way, Jordan tells his grandmother. His voice is steady, but she is still screaming.
"If he's not breathing, and she knows CPR, we need to do it. Does she know CPR?"
Jordan asks. No, she doesn't know, he says. Nichols hears her sobs in the background. Moments pass as Nichols gets Jordan to take the phone to the pool deck close to his grandmother and the baby.
"I'm going to tell you what to do. Lay the baby flat on its back on a table or on the floor."
Jordan tells his grandmother to turn the baby over. Nichols asks Jordan his name, and Jordan tells him.
"Jordan, I want you to repeat what I say, Okay? Can you do that for me?"
Jordan agrees. His voice is firm as he repeats Nichols' commands.
"Bare the baby's chest . . . Lift the chin slightly . . . Do you see anything in the baby's throat? Jordan, you've got to repeat what I say, okay? . . . Tell her to completely cover the baby's mouth and nose with her mouth. Blow two small breaths of air into the lungs."
Jordan repeats the commands. His voice is starting to break.
"You're doing a very good job, Jordan. Is she doing that?
Yes.
"Is the baby breathing normally?"
No. He has water in his mouth, Jordan says.
"Is the water coming out? Okay, let's get that water out and then try it again. Is the baby breathing? Did she get that water out? All right, listen Jordan, listen to me, okay?"
Okay.
"I need your help. Tell her to cover the baby's mouth and nose with her mouth and blow two small breathes of air into his lungs."
Jordan tells her to do it again. A second passes. Then a cough . . . a low moan . . . a gurgling cry.
"Is the baby crying, Jordan? Okay, so he's breathing. Lie him on his side. Tell her to lie him on his side, okay? I'm going to stay on the line until they get there."
The baby, 11-month-old Gabriel Alexander Arroyo, was flown to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa. He was back with his grandmother and cousin in Wesley Chapel on Friday, doing fine.
This was National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, which recognizes police, fire-rescue and 911 operators for their work.[Last modified April 17, 2004, 01:50:35]
