Making a Connection

The 7 a.m. shift one Wednesday in January 2013 began like most at the 911 dispatch center in the middle of an Ozarks winter – calm and essentially uneventful.

Three minutes into the shift, everything changed.

Seven-year-old Kailee Mangan called 911 from a cell phone. She, her 5-year-old brother Wyatt and her mom’s boyfriend had been in a car accident. Kailee and her brother were both injured and terrified. She was afraid her mom’s boyfriend was seriously hurt or dead (he was unconscious) and she didn’t know their location.

Telecommunicator Stacey Blair (pictured in video) a six-year 911 veteran and mother of three, took Kailee’s call that morning.

Blair’s training and experience immediately kicked in. She located the scene of the accident, requested emergency medical response and kept Kailee talking.
Blair reassured Kailee that help was on its way. With the telecommunicator's help, Kailee remained calm and provided useful information about the accident and injuries until help arrived. Within seven minutes, firefighters were administering CPR and removing Kailee and her family from the vehicle.

Once Blair knew that Kailee would be OK, she began concluding the call so Kailee could receive medical attention. Kailee then took the seasoned 911 telecommunicator by surprise when she told her she loved her.

“Stacey hesitated, and then replied, ‘I love you too, honey.’ Stacey disconnected, put her face in her hands and cried,” said Blair’s co-worker, Daphne Dauzat.