SKOWHEGAN — Somerset County dispatcher Jana Watson was awarded a Lifesaver Award from Fairfield police Chief Thomas Gould on Wednesday at a meeting of the Somerset County Commissioners for helping a 911 caller through giving CPR.

Watson’s instruction helped save the life of the caller’s husband, officials said.

The Somerset Regional Communications Center received a 911 call from the Fairfield resident on Feb. 6 reporting that her husband had collapsed, was gasping for breath and was unresponsive, according to a news release from Mike Smith, the county’s emergency management director.

Watson started the caller through a series of questions using emergency medical dispatch protocols to determine the patient’s status, the release said. Once Watson determined that the husband was not breathing, she began instructing the caller in use of CPR.

“Dispatcher Watson remained calm during the incident,” Gould said. “She gave clear, concise instructions to the caller and continued until CPR was taken over by first responders. Her actions saved a life that night. This is the sole reason the victim is here today.”

Troy and Kathleen Hill, from Fairfield, the caller and her husband from that night, were at the ceremony. Troy Hill is on the road to recovery and expressed his gratitude for the assistance that Watson provided to his wife during the call, according to the release.

The use of emergency medical dispatch protocols is mandatory for all public safety answering points in Maine. About 500 trained personnel are working in Maine’s 26 answering points, and they processed more than 580,000 911 calls in 2015.


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