KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There are more than 160 miles between Kansas City and Pacific Junction, Iowa, but that didn’t stop a Kansas City Fire Department dispatcher from helping a truck driver on the road.
Just a couple of days before New Year's Eve, KCFD Communication Specialist Antionette Sims found herself in an unconventional situation.
She received an emergency call from a concerned Kansas City-area father.
His son, a truck driver, was on the highway and suffering from a medical emergency.
"He had no clue where he was," Sims said. recalling the situation.
She had very little information about the location of the emergency, only knowing it was somewhere on a highway between Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska.
She connected with dispatchers from the counties along the route.
But, there was also one extra and essential detail.
"It might be near a Love's truck stop," Sims said remembering the piece of information the dad shared with her.
Like a puzzle, Sims started putting the pieces together.
"I searched the route like we would do any other time on a Google search, and then I looked for Love's truck stops along the way," Sims said.
She eventually learned that the man was in Iowa.
Chase Carson with the Greenwood Fire Department says he responded to the situation.
"This event that the patient was having is what they call a widow maker — a major cardiac event," Carson said. "It was a very serious medical call."
Carson says Sims' efforts were essential in saving the man's life.
"I truly believe that if she hadn’t been as persistent as she was, the outcome would not have been as positive for this gentleman," Carson said.
Sims says she usually doesn't learn what happens to the people she helps, but it's always good to hear about a happy ending.
"It was a relief. It feels really good to know that he was OK," Sims said.
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