Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Just like that...life can change.

On June 9th around 9:00pm we were sitting around our bonfire in our backyard with my brother and sister-in-law.  The air was calm.  It was a beautiful evening.  We were relaxing and just taking in the surroundings while watching the kids play with glow sticks and roast marshmallows.  We could hear laughter and squeals coming from my sister's house just acres away from us.  This was a normal sound in the distance. 

Then it all changed. The still quiet air was interrupted by sirens howling down the street behind us.  This is a main street to the hospital.  The uncommon part was how each siren stopped as it got behind our home.  Blocked by a long row of trees, we were unable to see the lights. 

I called to my sister's house and jokingly asked if another car had flipped over on their front yard.  My sister didn't respond to my comment.  She was on her cell phone leaving a message for someone else.  She was calm, but frantic.  She responded to me by saying, "I can't talk, we had a kid under water".

I turned to Cory and my brother and told them Dawn's response.  They hopped on the ATV and dashed over to my sister's house.  The rest of us walked over moments later.  Shaking and praying the entire way over.  Completely unaware of who was under water. 

The squeals we heard were not of laughter, but of fear from the children when they realized the three year old boy had gone under water and was not breathing. 

The rest taken from: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/with-call-dispatcher-s-cpr-training-helps-save-boy-s/article_384bf0a4-bacb-11e1-a7bf-001a4bcf887a.html

Lifesaving Award



WITH 911 CALL: Dispatcher’s CPR training helps save boy’s life


YORKVILLE — It was just an average Saturday night on June 9 when Julie Baker and her four kids decided to take a quick swim in a friend’s backyard pool.


The kids were in the water. The adults, having just counted all their heads, looked away from for a few seconds to apply some insect repellent.


And then it happened. Baker’s oldest son Brad, 7, started screaming. His 3-year-old brother, Danny, had slipped under the water. He wasn’t breathing. “I turned around and he was lifting him up to (his sister) Katie,” Julie Baker recalled. “He was blue with no pulse. It was terrible.”


Lucky for the Baker, and her friends the Scott and Dawn Loffquist, Racine County Dispatcher Emily Johnson was at the other end of the line when they called 911. Johnson, like all of the county’s dispatch technicians, had recently received some additional emergency medical dispatch training.

After immediately sending rescuers from the Union Grove-Yorkville Fire Department to the Loffquists’ Spring Street home, Johnson walked Scott and Dawn Loffquist through the steps of child CPR.
“I need you to put one hand on the forehead and put the fingers of your other hand under the bony part of the chin and gently tilt the head back,” Johnson can be heard saying during the 911 call. “Do you see him breathing at all? I want you to roll the baby onto his side and hold the baby’s feet.”

Scott Loffquist followed Johnson’s instructions by the letter, and a few seconds later Danny was breathing.

“Julie, he’s breathing,” Dawn Loffquist can be heard saying to Baker during the call. “He’s breathing, honey. He’s going to make it, honey. He’s going to make it.”

Danny ended up spending the night in the hospital, but the following day he was back at home and doing fine — “just like he was before,” according to his brother.


Johnson, 27, will tell you she was only doing her job, but on Tuesday the dispatcher received a Lifesaving Award for her efforts.

“Danny Baker is alive and well today as a result of the efforts from all of those involved, especially Dispatcher Johnson,” Racine County Executive Jim Ladwig said presenting Johnson with her award. “This truly is a success story. And, it’s important that we focus on and honor those that are responsible for doing great work.”


Getting ready for her 3 to 11 p.m. shift on Tuesday Johnson, who used to watch the show “Rescue 911” as a child, said that while she appreciates the recognition for her work the best gift of all was saving Danny’s life.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” she said. “It’s why I do what I do.”

Julie Baker holder her three year old son Danny.  Emily Johnson on the right.  The miracle 911 dispatcher that helped my brother-in-law save little Danny's life. 

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