Welsh operators help US mum-to-be

The control room staff managed to track down their US equivalents

Welsh emergency operators came to the rescue of a pregnant woman helping to deliver her twins in Nevada, USA.

Staff at The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust's headquarters in Pontypool were called in to help by the American mother-to-be's UK-based boyfriend.

He rang them on his mobile after discovering his girlfriend was ill as he spoke to her on the internet.

They then managed to contact their US counterparts to save the pregnant mother and her babies.

The call came through to the service's Mamhilad-based control room in the early hours of 2 October.

The service often receives mobile calls from people all across the UK and has to dispatch ambulances to unexpected locations.

It's a wonderful feeling to be able to help someone who's almost on the other side of the world Ambulance control manager Kerry Burrows

However, the trust said it is the first time it has been called upon to despatch help to someone on the other side of the Atlantic.

The identities of the couple involved in this drama have not been made public.

When he came through, the male caller explained to the operator that his US-based girlfriend was pregnant with twins and had suddenly become ill while the two were talking over the internet.

He said she was unable to reach the phone at her Nevada home and could not dial 911 to raise the American emergency services.

So, in desperation, he dialled 999 and asked them if they could arrange for an ambulance to go to his girlfriend's address in Nevada.

Time factor

Welsh ambulance control manager Kerry Burrows said: "We love a challenge and this certainly was one.

"It's not unusual to have calls coming in from mobile phones across the UK, but to have a request to help a patient over in the USA is a first for us."

After receiving the call, they first called a hospital in Nevada but had problems convincing the American medical staff there that their call was genuine.

With time a factor, they then turned to the internet to try to find a number for the expectant mother's local ambulance service.

It came up with several helpful numbers including the New York Police Department (NYPD) who managed to provide them with a contact number for the ambulance service in the Nevada area.

The Welsh ambulance control staff were then able to phone their stateside equivalents with the woman's name and address and asked them to attend.

'Over the moon'

They then phoned the boyfriend to inform him they had made contact and he confirmed the ambulance had arrived at his girlfriend's Nevada home.

"The numbers provided by Google were a great help," explained Ms Burrows.

"We're over the moon as a team to have been able to help the couple.

"It's a wonderful feeling to be able to help someone who's almost on the other side of the world.

"We can only hope that the mum-to-be is now well and that the twins will be healthy and strong."