The Missouri Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (MOAPCO) is pleased to recognize Communications Supervisor Stacey Ashby of the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and Assistant Communications Supervisory Stan Hendrix of the Cameron Police Department, as well as Jeff Snow and Clint Korneman of the Cameron Special Road District as Missouri Teammates in Action!
Starting the evening of January 8 and continuing well into January 9, 2024, Northwest Missouri was hammered with a major snowstorm receiving approximately 8-10 inches of snow. On January 9, 2024, at approximately 7:04 a.m., the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from rural Osborn, Missouri. It was from a frantic mother whose three-year-old daughter was having seizures and at one point quit breathing. Clinton County Communications Supervisor Officer Stacey Ashby took the call and quickly realized that the residence was in the Cameron Ambulance District. She stayed on the line while transferring the call to the Cameron Police Department.
Cameron Police Department Assistant Supervisor Stan Hendrix received the call, monitored the situation, and paged emergency medical services to respond to the location. Supervisor Communications Officer Ashby continued speaking with the scared mother, building rapport while Assistant Supervisor Hendrix called the Clinton County Cameron Special Road District to see if someone could get ahead of the ambulance to clear the gravel road and driveway to the residence. Supervisor Communications Officer Ashby assisted the mother to administer a seizure medication injection and the child started breathing normally while coming out of the seizure. Communications Supervisor Officer Ashby continued to reassure the caller, telling her she was doing a great job. She was compassionate, caring and showed sympathy and empathy throughout the duration of the call. Special Road District personnel Jeff Snow and Clint Korneman responded quickly to Hendrix’s dispatch to clear snow so medical units could respond. Unbeknownst to the dispatchers at either 9-1-1 center, the father of the child, Mr. Korneman, is on the road and bridge crew and actually cleared the path so help could reach his family.
The mother later posted to Facebook, “The Dispatcher was very calm, understanding and informative. She assured me help was on the way and then helped me walk through administering the diazepam. I was so thankful for that dispatcher. She was very nice, very calm. She didn’t make me feel bad in any way. I really just needed someone there with me because I was so afraid. She was that person, and I am beyond thankful for her. She will honestly never even understand how thankful I was just to have someone there with me!”
These two dispatchers work at two completely different PSAP’s, approximately 30 minutes away from each other, but worked like they were sitting right beside each other. Their teamwork, quick thinking, and dedication to the career really shows! The Special Road District crew worked diligently to make the emergency response physically possible as they would for anyone in need. Sometimes it really does take the village to get things done.
For their exceptional actions, Missouri APCO is pleased to recognize these outstanding individuals from these three outstanding agencies as Missouri Teammates in Action.