Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
How '911 Crisis Center' Dispatchers Handled Memorial Day Weekend Emergencies
Chagrin Valley dispatchers had to focus on a stream of life-and-death calls during a Memorial Day weekend, as seen on a recent episode of "911 Crisis Center."
On “911 Crisis Center,” airing Saturdays at 9/8c on Oxygen, Memorial Day weekend brings a stream of high-stakes calls for dispatchers at Chagrin Valley Dispatch in Ohio.
Multiple calls came in to report that shots were fired in an apartment building. The incident left one man injured, who was
not breathing and unresponsive to CPR.
Police arrived quickly on the scene. They determined that the victim had been shot a number of times in the torso. Two men
were then observed getting into a car and driving away from the scene.
The victim was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The investigation into his murder is
ongoing.
Later in the shift, a mother called to report that her son blacked out and she couldn’t wake him up. Dispatchers determined that
the cause was not drugs or alcohol — and that he had experienced this once before.
Related: What It Means When 911 Dispatchers Are In ‘The Loop’ — And How They Handle It
The mother told the dispatcher that she couldn’t see her son’s chest rising and falling. That indicated he wasn’t breathing, so
the dispatcher instructed the mom to get her son off the bed and onto his back on the floor as fast as possible.
“Every second counts,” the dispatcher told producers. As the mother performed chest compressions, her son vomited. The mom was instructed to roll her son to his side to clear his mouth and then again on this back to continue CPR.
Emergency personnel arrived and the caller’s son was transported to the hospital. Despite efforts to revive him, he passed away
later that day. The cause of the death is unknown.
Later, a panicked mother called to report that gunshots were fired into her home.
“I just heard 17 shots or more,” she said. “It sounded like it was coming from next door… My kids are here!”
Dispatch staff made sure that the family members were safe and on the floor in case more shots rang out. Police then observed a car leaving the scene and several units followed it in high-speed pursuit until the driver of the car being chased hit a deer. He and a passenger then bailed out of the car and ran off.
All of the officers involved were safely accounted for. One of the suspects was shot in the chase, though, and taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
One suspect was apprehended, while the other was still at large. The investigation is ongoing.
To find out more about what dispatchers do, watch “911 Crisis Center,” airing Saturdays at 9/8c on Oxygen or stream episodes here.
