Somerton dispatchers, officers credited with saving baby

Two Somerton police and fire dispatchers from the city's 911 Communication Center likely saved a 3-month-old baby girl’s life.

Robby Rodriguez, spokesman for the Somerton/Cocopah Fire Department, said firefighters and officers from the Somerton Police Department responded to the 300 block of Orchid Street at 5:39 p.m. on Sunday for a baby not breathing.

The call to Somerton's 911 Communication Center was answered by dispatchers Dora Ballesteros and Wendy Gomez, who spoke with distraught family members screaming — “The baby's not breathing!” 

Rodriguez explained while Ballesteros was talking to family members, Gomez was relaying the information to the SCFD.

"They did a great job," Rodriguez said. "They stayed calm, cool and collected, and were able to do the right thing. As a result, the outcome was great."

Ballesteros asked a variety of questions ranging from "Is the baby breathing?" to "Do you know CPR?," according to Rodriguez.

And in this instance, Rodriguez said the uncle of the 3-month-old baby girl works with disabled children and has been trained in CPR.

"The mom had put the baby to bed and had gone in to check on her,” Rodriguez said. "That is when she discovered the baby wasn't breathing."

The first units on scene were Somerton police officers Frank Gradias and Sgt. Michelle Magana, who took over performing CPR from the uncle.

Respiratory arrest, which is the cessation of breathing, is a medical emergency and it usually is related to or coincides with a cardiac arrest. It is treated initially with artificial ventilation, together with treatment of the likely cause.

Magana continued CPR until SCFD paramedics arrived aboard a Rural/Metro ambulance, which took approximately seven minutes.

Rodriguez said the baby call occurred while the SCFD was in the midst of two other emergency calls for service.

SCFD units were also on another emergency scene (child with an asthma attack) when this call came through, Rodriguez said. The other SCFD ambulance was also on another call, transporting an elderly female to the hospital.

Rodriguez said upon their arrival, the baby was handed off to SCFD paramedics, who continued providing CPR as they boarded the Rural/Metro ambulance, which responded to the scene to assist and transport the patient.

While en route to Yuma Regional Medical Center, paramedics continued to assist with the baby’s respiratory function and attempted to start intravenous fluids.

Rodriguez said when paramedics from the SCFD and Rural/Metro arrived at the hospital, the baby was crying and alive.

"Crying babies are such a great thing for firefighters," Rodriguez said. "We know it means the baby has an airway and is breathing."

The baby girl was rushed into the emergency room for more treatment and was flown later that night to a Phoenix hospital. The Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Fire Department backfilled the SCFD for any other emergency calls.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.