A Prince William County 911 dispatcher received an unexpected phone call last month.
On the morning of January 30, Afnan Abdelhafez from the Prince William County Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC) assisted with a baby delivery, according to a release from the Communications Office.
Brandon Taylor and Joan Taylor of Catlett were heading to Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax County with their son, Theo.
At 6:21 a.m., Brandon Taylor called 9-1-1. The baby had crowned as they drove along Interstate 66. Two minutes later, Audrey Taylor was born, with help from Abdelhafez.
“It was really exciting,” Abdelhafez said in a release. “I just figured it was going to be a normal interstate highway call, but as soon as I heard, ‘My wife’s having a baby,’ I just wanted to make sure I got the location and make sure the medics got there as soon as possible.”
After the delivery, Abdelhafez confirmed the baby was OK by asking Brandon to touch her foot, prompting Audrey to cry.
The family was soon joined by emergency personnel.
“Technician Mitchell with the 522 crew did an amazing job with making sure that we were OK; and Lt. DeAtley took the time to go find my husband, bring him over and have him cut the cord so my husband could still have that moment before we were loaded up onto the medic truck,” Joan Taylor said in a release. “That was really, really important to us. The firefighters were all happy to be there, and it made it so that I knew that it wasn’t a scary, bad situation.”
According to Taylor, Captain Richie Scott checked in with Theo.
“When it came time for me to get out of the car, he covered my son’s eyes so that way my son wouldn’t see anything,” Taylor added. “As I was getting into the ambulance, I was able to wave bye to my son. As a mother, that’s huge to me. I feel like that saved my son a lot of potential trauma.”
Abdelhafez recently had a chance to meet Audrey.
“She definitely helped keep us calm,” Taylor said. “Knowing that someone was there to help us and make sure that there were people on the way and make sure that everything was going to be OK was incredibly reassuring.”
Fire and Rescue Chief Tom LaBelle, Assistant Director for Systems for Public Safety Communications Jared Juliano, Deputy County Executive Dan Alexander, County Executive Chris Shorter, gave Abdelhafez her second stork pin.
These pins are provided to emergency dispatchers who assist with baby deliveries. This was the first Prince William County stork award Shorter has presented.
“Our 9-1-1 call takers are extraordinary in the face of emergencies and under pressure, and they are often the first response in times of crises,” Shorter said in a release. “Bringing a new life into the world in a unique situation where the whole family is cared for, from the moment the call goes through until the family is safely at the hospital, shows true compassion and dedication. I want to thank Afnan and the rest of the team, as well as the Fire and Rescue crew, who truly exemplify Prince William County’s commitment to exceptional public service.”
