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Behind The Scenes With A Local 911 Dispatcher In A Week Honoring Public Safety Telecommunicators

Huron Valley Ambulance in Ann Arbor

Countless people's lives are saved everyday thanks to the efforts of emergency dispatchers.

They're the person on the other end of the phone when you call 9-1-1.

To honor their service, April 10-16 has been named National Public SafetyTelecommunicatorsWeek.

I recently had a chance to talk with Dan Blaszkiewicz, an emergency dispatcher with Huron Valley Ambulance in Ann Arbor.

Blaszkiewicz says his job involves more than just answering the phone.

"We've delivered babies, help with cardiac arrests, try to control bleeding. If somebody's choking, and they don't know the Heimlich maneuver, we help them," Blaszkiewicz says.

He says they also help people with less serious problems like toothaches, and other non-life-threatening emergencies.

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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU.  You can contact Lisa at734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu

Lisa Barry was a reporter, and host of All Things Considered on 89.1 WEMU.
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