Pinellas County 911 operator celebrated for helping save man's life
LARGO, Fla. - It's National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and 911 operators are being celebrated for their efforts.
A 911 operator from Pinellas County was celebrated Tuesday for her work that saved one man’s life. One evening in November, Lisa Law called 911 after her husband Michael was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest.
"Get him to the floor as fast as you can," Jessie Howard, the Pinellas County 911 operator, told Lisa over the phone.
Clear, calm, and steady – she walked Lisa through CPR until the ambulance arrived.
"Jessica [Howard] was my rock for 11 minutes, so he can be here today," Lisa said.
The couple thanked the doctors, paramedics, and Tuesday, thanked Howard during a visit to the county’s dispatch center.
"When you go through something like this, and you have a successful outcome you’re just filled with gratitude," Michael Law said.
Tuesday, the couple received a tour and gave Howard a cake and a plaque to remember their gratitude. Howard said the "thank you" makes her job worthwhile.
"I’m really blessed, and I'm very happy that I got to meet them, and it really makes my job worth doing," Howard said.