GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — In a heart-pounding roadside emergency, a dispatcher with the Santa Rita Fire District helped deliver a baby over the phone, turning a frantic 911 call into a story of calm, quick thinking and a safe new life.
The call, which came in on April 2, has now become a highlight of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, which began on Sunday, April 13.
Darby Cech, a communications specialist and acting supervisor at the Valley Emergency Communication Center (VECC), took the call just after 5 p.m. A couple en route from Green Valley to a Tucson hospital found themselves caught in the middle of active labor. The baby was coming—and fast.
“We got a 911 call for a woman who had gone into labor,” Cech recalled. “The guy said, ‘My wife is in labor. I can see the baby’s head. What do I do?’”
Cech calmly instructed the father to pull over and began walking him through the delivery over the phone. Within moments, the baby was born right there on the side of the road.
But then, the situation took a terrifying turn.
“At one point, he said the baby’s face was purple, and I couldn’t hear the baby crying anymore,” said Cech. “I advised him to pat the baby’s back and feet. When I heard the baby cry again and he said her face was turning pink, I knew she was okay.”
Santa Rita Fire units arrived shortly after to provide care and transport. Fortunately, both mother and baby were healthy and without complications.
For her role in the successful delivery, Cech was awarded a stork pin—a rare honor given to dispatchers who assist in childbirth before emergency crews arrive.
The dramatic delivery has drawn attention not just for the miracle it represents but also as a reminder of the critical, behind-the-scenes role dispatchers play in emergencies.
“I was definitely a little overwhelmed,” Cech admitted. “But this is what I love about the job—helping people in these moments.”
The event serves as a powerful tribute to public safety telecommunicators during their national recognition week, which runs through April 19. For families in crisis, dispatchers like Darby Cech truly are the calm in the chaos.
Jason Moore, Deputy Chief of Santa Rita Fire District and supervisor at VECC, says that “voices behind the microphone” like Darby deserve wide recognition and has been working to show appreciation to these often overlooked individuals.
This includes having all new firefighter recruits spend time with dispatchers to learn what they do throughout the day and appreciate the difficulties of the job. At the same time, dispatchers are exposed to the field, so everyone in the organization can understand each other’s important role in the public safety pipeline. This includes having dispatchers join ride-alongs and run calls.
“One of my primary objectives is to pull back the veil that exists between dispatch and those in the field,” he said. “I’ll tell you, everyone has the same reaction. They’re wide-eyed because they had no idea.”
He says that many people, including firefighters, have preconceived notions about dispatches that aren’t true. “Once you get an idea of what the workflow, you start to understand and appreciate what they’re doing.”
Since dispatchers communicate over the phone, Moore says they have a disadvantage. “You and I having this conversation right now, the physical cues that you’re giving me, that hits on closed-loop communication,” he said. “Some of those things are missing for the telecommunicator, yet they still have a way to connect with that calling party and show compassion.”
Moore says he’s particularly proud of Darby and her ability to stay calm under pressure. “My smile was sore from smiling so big,” he said. “Darby is a rock star.”
While Moore appreciates having a week dedicated to his force of dispatchers, he thinks there should be more widespread appreciation throughout the year.
“The week is fine, but we want to continue that recognition,” he said. “The bottom line is they’re good at their job.”
Daniel Gonska, who serves as Community Relations Director for Drexel Heights and the Santa Rita Fire District, agrees that the workforce deserves more recognition.
“The public actually doesn’t get to see what they’re doing on this side,” Gonska said. “We have some of the best dispatchers in the area. It’s important that we recognize them because they’re the ones that are taking all the information, dealing with the public first and disseminating that information to the firefighters and medics.”
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