You might not have heard of either incident, but two lives were saved this summer, thanks to the quick action of KaneComm 9-1-1 telecommunicators and emergency personnel from the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District.

Gonzalez was the call taker and fire dispatcher on May 29, when she received a call about a 6-year-old boy who had just been pulled from a swimming pool. He was not breathing, and it was unknown how long he had been underwater.

The Fire Department was dispatched, and Gonzalez performed what 9-1-1 operators call an Emergency Medical Dispatch. While the Fire Department was en route, the boy started breathing.

“Thanks to all the first responders, the boy does not have any long-term effects from the incident,” KaneComm Deputy Director Michelle Guthrie said Thursday via email.

Gonzalez was also the call taker on a June 13 incident, when a caller reported that a man had just been electrocuted and had fallen from the top of a Waste Management truck.

Gonzalez dispatched Fox River Fire and performed the EMD, while Linder handled the police dispatch, then took over fire dispatch.

Fox River’s crew arrived quickly and found the Waste Management truck still energized from the power lines and against a pole.

The worker had third-degree burns from electrocution and a severe head injury from a fall from the truck. He was taken to an area hospital by helicopter.

“It didn’t look promising,” Guthrie said. “The timing on this incident was key. The swift actions of Telecommunicator Gonzalez, Supervisor Linder, Fox River Fire and the flight crew saved the man’s life.”

Guthrie said the Waste Management employee is responding well to treatment and is in rehabilitation.

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About KaneComm

Kane County Emergency Communications (KaneComm) is a multi-jurisdictional dispatch center responsible for the deployment of several police, fire, and medical agencies located within Kane County. KaneComm personnel are tasked with all of the incoming emergency and non-emergency calls for assistance from citizens residing in these jurisdictions. Subscribers to KaneComm include the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, police departments from Wayne, Gilberts, Hampshire, Maple Park, Pingree Grove, Campton Hills, Fox Valley Park District, Kane County Forest Preserve District and South Elgin, and the fire districts of Burlington, Hampshire, Maple Park, Pingree Grove, Fox River, Big Rock and Kaneville. For more information, visit the KaneComm web page.

Other 9-1-1 Agencies in Kane County

• TRI COM CENTRAL, dispatches for:
  • St. Charles Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • Geneva Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • Batavia Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • Elburn Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • Sugar Grove Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • Waubonsee Cadets
  • North Aurora Fire/Emergency Medical Services

• AURORA CENTRAL dispatches for:
  • Aurora Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • North Aurora Police

• QUAD COM, dispatches for:
  • Carpentersville Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • West Dundee Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • East Dundee Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • Sleepy Hollow Police
  • South Barrington Police
  • Rutland Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • Barrington Hills Police

• ELGIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, dispatches for:
  • Elgin Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
  • South Elgin Fire/Emergency Medical Services