St. Croix County dispatcher and deputy save the life of unresponsive baby

A St. Croix County dispatcher and deputy were recognized with an award from Regions EMS on Tuesday for saving the life of an unresponsive baby that had stopped breathing in his crib.

In May, Jamie Smith found her 2-month-old baby Emmett without a pulse.

"We heard him making some noise in his room, and we went in there and saw him basically spitting up and choking and changing colors," she said.

After calling 9-1-1, dispatcher Tom Barthman coached the father, Jason, on how to immediately start CPR on his baby.  Shortly after, Deputy James Sander arrived and successfully took over CPR for the longest two minutes of the Smith's lives. And then, Emmett cried.

When EMS crews finally arrived, he had a pulse and was breathing erratically. Emmett was then taken to Hudson Hospital then transferred to Children’s Hospital in St. Paul.  

"Without the actions of Barthman and Sander, I don't believe the child would have survived," Kim Eby, St. Croix EMS Chief, said.

The "Accommodation of Life-Saving Efforts" is a distinct award handed out by Regions EMS, a group that is responsible for training more than 1,800 emergency responders, covering six counties and 2,500 square miles in the Twin Cities and Western Wisconsin.

Thanks to Barthman and Sander’s quick response, Emmett is now back at home and “doing well.”