By Janet Jacobs

Daily Sun



Changing the way 9-1-1 operators are trained may become the legacy of Brenna Peterson Allman, a 2-year-old who died this past summer after falling into a backyard swimming pool. Because 9-1-1 operators aren’t trained in CPR and other rescue techniques, the family had to wait for emergency responders to try to revive the toddler.

It was only a four-minute wait, but the family has wondered if that four minutes might have made the difference. Now, the Peterson family is backing a proposal to give 9-1-1 dispatchers more information so they can help more people.

“We don’t want any blame anywhere,” said Dusty Peterson, Brenna’s grandfather. “We just want something positive to come out of it.”

It was Dusty Peterson who asked Texas Rep. Byron Cook if the system could be changed.

“It was obvious the pain this family is suffering is unimaginable, but it’s not unusual for people to try to find a way for it to be better for other folks,” Cook said. “Nobody wants people to go through these kinds of tragedies.”

An attempt was made in the 2009 legislative session to change the way 9-1-1 operators are trained in Texas, but it didn’t get off the ground. Last spring, Rep. Stephen Frost, D-Atlanta, introduced a bill that would establish a protocol for people who work in emergency call centers, and that could include CPR.

“There’s no protocol now, that’s what we’re trying to create,” Frost said. “There’s no basic training, no background check, nothing is required for someone trying to operate a 9-1-1 line.”

Frost’s recommendations would include background checks, basic emergency medical information and simple poisoning information.

“I think it would be good for us as a state to have some basic parameters about what a 9-1-1 operator should know, or be exposed to prior to taking that job,” Frost said. “I’m not looking to create a bureaucracy, or have them go to a special school, but there are some things that wouldn’t be too cumbersome.”

Frost represents four rural counties in far northeast Texas, and some of those residents are 30 minutes from emergency responders. He’s also sensitive to the reality that rural areas can have a hard time finding highly qualified operators for their dispatch centers.

“The last thing I want to do is run off competent people from these positions,” Frost said. “I don’t want to have standards so onerous that it’s difficult for us in rural areas to fill the positions of 9-1-1 operators, but I do want those folks to have some basic knowledge.”

To make sure the standards won’t be too stringent, and that operators have the right kind of knowledge, Cook and Frost are proposing an interim study on the subject before the next legislative session in 2011.

“This was an idea that needs to be fleshed out more,” Frost said. “We need to bring more people into the discussion and make sure we get it right.”

Cook agrees that some research on the subject would help create the kind of law that Texas needs.

“The great thing is if there’s an interim study we can get people in and really give us the pros and cons and see if we’ve missed something,” Cook said. “I do think this is something that needs some real thoughtfulness so that in a real life and death situation they have all the tools needed to save lives.”

In Navarro County, the operators who work for the City of Corsicana and the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office are trained by the North Central Texas Council of Government in a special telecommunications school. In addition to the introductory school, the operators also receive continuing education each year.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is not part of the basic training, said Sherry Decker, facilitator for the Texas 9-1-1 Trainers for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

Currently, the state requires dispatchers of large cities or counties to get 40 hours of training within their first year on the job unless it’s a small police or sheriff’s department.

“And if your agency has less than 20 employees you’re exempt,” Decker said. “Approximately 70 percent of the agencies in Texas have less than 20 employees.”

The dispatcher trainers agree that the more education the better, but they’re also interested in seeing everyone get the basics, before venturing into something like CPR.

The basic 40-hour course includes dispatcher roles in public safety, confidentiality, technology, basic communication skills, call procedures, radio techniques, liability and stress management, Decker said. For an intermediate certificate, dispatchers receive more training in courses such as Spanish and ethics, while the advanced certificate can include emergency medical dispatching. Every month, the North Central Texas Council of Governments offers different courses for dispatchers, ranging from domestic violence and Spanish to a new class on hostage negotiations. However, when budgets get tight, one of the first cuts is often dispatcher training, Decker said.

“We feel like if we’re expecting them to be professional, we should give them the tools to work with,” she said.

For Dusty Peterson and his family, one of those crucial tools needs to be CPR training.

“It really shocked me to find out that 9-1-1 operators did not have a protocol for CPR, rescue breathing or even basic first aid,” he said. “I always thought that if I called 9-1-1 they could help me, but when in actuality, they’re just trying to keep you calm so they can get the fire department there.”

Peterson said his family doesn’t blame anyone for their tragedy, and they respect how fast the responders arrived.

“The first responders were there within four minutes, you can’t ask for faster than that. I don’t see how it could get better than that,” Peterson said. “Our whole thing is if we can shorten that four minutes in helping someone.

“Even if we can help one, it was worth it,” Peterson said.

If he’s re-elected in the next election in 2010, Cook said he would be happy to co-sponsor the new bill.

“Your best legislation always comes from real people having real issues,” Cook said.

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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “Soundoff” on this story? E-mail: soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com.