July 11, 2008
Hannibal Courier-Post 

On Feb. 19, 2008, 911 telecommunicator John Lewis received a 911 call that is every parent’s worst nightmare – a mother reporting that her 3-month-old baby was not breathing. While his partner dispatched the Palmyra Fire Department’s First Responders and paramedics with the Marion County Ambulance District, Lewis’ training as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) kicked in.

Following what every Marion County 911 telecommunicator is trained to do, Lewis was able to calmly guide the baby’s mother and neighbor through life saving CPR instructions and working together, the infant was revived before the first responders arrived.

A combination of treacherous winter driving conditions and the rural location of the call added to the seriousness of the situation.

According to 911 Director Mike Hall, “It was a worst case scenario for us. Roads were ice covered and hazardous and the dispatch center was busy with multiple accidents and slide offs. We usually can have a first responder on scene within about five minutes, but this particular night everyone in the dispatch center knew that the response time would be much greater. In situations like this, the life saving instructions provided by telecommunicator Lewis had a direct impact on this story’s happy ending.”

John Lewis will be recognized with a “911 Hero Life Saver” award at the 911 Board Meeting on Thursday, June 12, at 7 p.m. at the Palmyra Fire Department.

John has been employed by Marion County 911 since July 2007, and is a volunteer member of the Palmyra Fire Department. Marion County 911 has been providing life saving Emergency Medical Dispatch instructions since January 2003.

The family of the baby has planned a benefit on Saturday June 14, at the Zion Lutheran School in Palmyra, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with a meal, and live and silent auctions, to raise money to help with medical expenses.