Communications Director Tara Doe presents the Maine EMS for Children Stork Award to Lincoln County Dispatcher Jennifer Gosselin during the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, July 20. (Charlotte Boynton photo)
Lincoln County Communications Director Tara Doe presented the Maine Emergency Medical Services for Children’s Program Stork Awards to dispatchers Jennifer Gosselin and Josiah Winchenbach during the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, July 20.
Maine EMS and Maine EMS for Children program recognizes individuals that perform a field delivery of a newborn baby with a stork pin, pink for female newborn and blue for male newborns. Individual’s eligibility includes EMS providers, public safety personnel, firefighters, police officers, and dispatchers when instructions are provided during the delivery by phone.
Winchenbach received a 911 call at 12:33 a.m. on June 17 from a woman who was in active labor. During the call Winchenbach said it was determined to be a breech birth, with the feet coming out first. With instructions and guidance from Winchenbach, a baby boy was delivered before EMS arrived.
“What is amazing is that the baby was delivered feet first, a highly usual and complicated delivery,” Maine EMS for Children Program Director Marc Minkler wrote. “With your years of experience you maintained an excellent rapport with the caller you adapted to a complicated situation.”
Commissioner Hamilton Meserve asked Winchenbach how he felt after the call.
“I was tired,” Winchenbach said.
Winchenbach has been with the communications center since 2009.
Gosselin received a 911 call at 12:59 a.m. on May 4 about a woman who was in active labor and was able to give instructions for the successful delivery of a baby boy before EMS arrived.
Lincoln County Communications Director Tara Doe presents the Maine EMS for Children Stork Award to Lincoln County dispatcher Josiah Winchenbach during the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, July 20. (Charlotte Boynton photo)
“During the call Gosselin provided excellent delivery instructions giving calm and clear instructions resulting is a successful delivery of a baby boy before EMS arrived,” Minkler wrote.
This was Gosselin’s first delivery by phone in her career as a dispatcher or as police officer. She worked at the communications center for a year, and is now a full-time police officer with Boothbay Harbor Police Department. She remains on the roster as an on-call dispatcher.
