DeKalb 911 Operator Saves Her Father's Life on Call; Trainer Honored

A DeKalb County 911 dispatcher who handled an emergency call that saved her father’s life credits her trainer for her calm actions, and that trainer is now up for a national award.

Crystal Morrow spent months training, but never imagined she would get a call from her own family just four hours into her first day working alone, reports FOX 5 TV. Morrow says she had answered about 40 calls on her first solo day, including a burglary in progress and a house fire.

Then she was surprised to hear a familiar voice on the other end of a call. Morrow's aunt dialed 911 because her father had gone into diabetic shock.

"I did freeze, my hands froze over the keyboard, but I knew I had to get the call in," Morrow told the TV station.

Morrow walked her aunt through what she had to do and dispatched an ambulance to her father.

Her colleague and trainer, Danielle Harvey, says Morrow handled the call well.

"She took the entire call and then she got up after the call and stepped outside," says Harvey. "I went to check on her and told her to go see about her family."

The training Morrow received played a large role in Harvey's nomination for a national award, the third annual Smart Telecommunicator Awards.