from February 10, 2009

(the original call)

Supplemental Narrative:

On Feb 10, 2009 at 0519 Dispatcher Lowe and I were on duty at the Waterville Regional Communication Center. Dispatcher Lowe appeared to be in good health and we were in conversation when the color disappeared from her face. She was standing up, leaning against the dispatch console at this time. Then I noticed her eyes "roll back" and she became dead weight and fell sideways to her left onto the floor hitting her head also.

I checked her breathing as she was still unresponsive to my verbal stimulus. I immediately toned out Waterville Rescue, Delta Ambulance, and notified the officers on duty. After the tones were sent I double checked that Sgt _____ heard the tone, which he responded that he was responding to our location.

At this point Dispatcher Lowe was starting to come around and could not remember what happened. Officer _____ was first to arrive and helped me check her over. The rescue personnel arrived and assumed patient care and checked her vitals. Delta Ambulance transported Dispatcher Lowe to Inland Hospital for a medical evaluation. There was already swelling and bruising appearing over her left eyebrow and cheek.

(copied from an I wrote) I was standing at work, talking to _____ about buying pants when she said something like "are you gonna make it" and the next thing I knew she was screaming, toning out rescue/delta and ____ and ____ were picking me up off the floor and ______ was asking me all sorts of questions like what my name is etc. Delta hauled me over to Inland where I had a cat scan, an eeg, and ekg, blood work and xrays. I have a huge knot on my head from where it impacted the floor, a big bruise on my cheek, a bit tongue and messed up my shoulder. They released me saying everything looked OK and they didn't know why this happened. I am all weird feeling and dazed and confused and humiliated, and _____ picks me up at Inland to take me back to work where ____ is no where to be found and I go in to wait for him and _____ would not even speak to me. (I know thats the norm for you but she acts like I did this on purpose and that really hurt me) anyway, then I go down to _____ office to wait for ___ and he, the DC and the Chief all show up and take me into the Chiefs office where I sit still all dazed and confused and they tell me I can't come back to work till I am medically cleared cause they can't take a chance of this happening again. Then I say fine, I intended to make an appt with my doctor anyway and I say something about just hoping no one at work is mad at me- I am still incoherent and all and really talking about the other dispatchers but the Chief tells me that it is apparent that I am very unhappy at work anyway and while it is not their practice "to be mad at anyone" it is their practice to get to the bottom of peoples unhappiness on the job and on and on and on and I just wanted to go to bed... then they decide I can't drive home so ____ brought me home and here I am writing one big long sentence that I am not spell checking before going to bed with an ice pack on my face.

To be continued...