Dispatchers prioritize, remain calm as tornado calls come in

By Andrea Lucia, CBS 11 KTVT

Hundreds of calls for help flooded 911 centers in Rowlett and Garland when an F-4 tornado struck those cities on December 26, 2015.

“All of a sudden, I think we had 50 plus calls come in at one time,” said Jessica Forsyth, one of three call takers at Garland 911. “The first call I took was a house that collapsed on a lot of people….You could hear the baby crying. It was pretty bad.”

Kidnapping victim ordered to call boyfriend, dials 9-1-1 instead

The Washington Post

A sexual assault victim in Georgia was able to reach help mid-attack thanks to quick thinking by herself and a 9-1-1 dispatcher. She was ordered by her attacker to call her boyfriend but instead dialed 9-1-1. A quick-thinking dispatcher played along while sending police to her location. "[It was] the most extreme call of my career," dispatcher Deonte Smith said.

New dispatcher talks parents through umbilical cord problem during delivery

ABC 13 KTRK-TV

A Utah couple welcomed their fourth child into the world on the side of Interstate 15, coached through delivery problems by a 911 operator. Kristin Allred and her husband Shay were six miles from the hospital when she said she knew she had to start pushing, KUTV reports. Allred's husband pulled over on the side of Interstate 15 and called 911.