Girl Knew What to do When Mother was Unconscious; Dispatch Honors Her

A Casper mother named Griselda had taught her eight-year-old daughter, Delilah, what to do if an emergency arose, and those talks paid off at 5:46 p.m. Feb. 9, according to a news release from the Casper Police Department.

Delilah found her mother apparently unconscious and dialed 911.

Amanda Munoz of the Casper-Natrona County Public Safety Communications Center (PSCC), also known as dispatch, took the call and heard Delilah scream and try to tell her what was happening.

Delilah asked Munoz to communicate through FaceTime, and Munoz asked her supervisor Erin Tower if that was acceptable.

In her eight years of dispatching emergency services, Tower never heard of such a request, but told Munoz, "Let’s do it, if that’s what she needs, let’s do it."

Tower and Munoz were about to tell Delilah how to perform CPR on her mom when emergency responders arrived.

They took Griselda by ambulance to a hospital with Delilah riding along with her mother.

Griselda is recovering.

Now, she and Delilah are working with dispatch to tell others about the importance of talking with your kids about how and when to call 911.

"We both have children around Delilah’s age," Tower said.

"Being in this job, we know how crucial it is to have those hard talks with your kids about what to do in case of an emergency," she said. "I ask my daughter all the time, ‘What is our address? And what is your mom’s real name?’ We also try to make sure she has memorized phone numbers of close family or friends."

Munoz added dispatchers like her want people to know how to respond in emergency situations.

"When talking with a child I always think, ‘If this was my kid, how would I calm them? How would I talk to them?’ It made her feel better that we could see what she was seeing. We were no longer just a voice on the phone," Munoz said.

On Thursday, Delilah and her mother visited the dispatchers who took her call.

PSCC Manager Lori Jackson presented Delilah with a certificate of appreciation for her life-saving efforts and dedication to helping others.

The police department and the Casper-Natrona County Public Safety Communications Center urges people to talk with their children about how and when to call 911. Make sure they know crucial information about medical conditions, addresses and names.

Dispatch hopes that your child will never have to call for help, but if they do, it is available 24 hours a day.