Free Republic

A veteran medical services dispatcher at Knox County’s E-911 Center has been credited with saving the lives of two children caught in a burning house. "He calmed them down and told them both to lie down on the floor and that probably saved their lives," said Charlie Barker, spokesman for the Knoxville Fire Department. The emergency medical services dispatcher, Michael Mays, has been with E-911 for nine years. "At first, you could tell she was panicking and I couldn’t understand her," Mays said. "She was excited and choking and couldn’t breathe." Knoxville firefighters located the 15-year-old girl and her 5-year-old...

WATAUGA (AP) - A 911 dispatcher has apologized after responding to a mother's plea for help with an unruly child by saying: "OK. Do you want us to come over to shoot her?" The woman, identified only as Lori in Wednesday's editions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, said she recently phoned authorities after coming home to find her daughters fighting. She told the call-taker her 12-year-old, who had kicked a hole in the door, was out of control. After dispatcher Mike Forbess' comment, the line went dead for 5 seconds. "Are you there?" Forbess asked. "Excuse me?" Lori said. Forbess,...