County Commissioners honor Central Communications dispatcher, Delran Police Officer for baby delivery during snow storm

WESTAMPTON – The Burlington County Board of County Commissioners honored a Burlington County Central Communications dispatcher and Delran police officer for their roles in the safe delivery of a healthy baby girl during a snowstorm.

The three-day storm between Jan. 31-Feb. 2 dumped more than 10 inches on parts of the county and kept the dispatchers at Burlington County Central Communications plenty busy. More than 1,000 emergency calls were fielded by the call center and dispatchers assisted with more than 2,700 police, fire and EMS incidents.

One specific 911 call from Delran was especially memorable.

It was a Feb. 2 maternity call involving a pregnant woman who went into labor at home in Delran. Dispatcher Mark Boyd was working on the Emergency Medical Dispatch Desk and Delran Ptl. Keith Upton was the first arriving officer at the home.

Within minutes it became clear that the baby would not wait for EMS workers to arrive, and Boyd ended up talking the father and Officer Upton through the delivery. The healthy 5 pound, 10 pounce baby girl ended up arriving at 10:04 AM, just 10 minutes after the initial 9:54 AM 911 call.

Both the mother and newborn were later transported to an area hospital as a precaution and were reported in good condition.

In recognition of their calm actions during the emergency, Burlington County Commissioner Dan O’Connell presented Boyd and Upton with Certificates of Recognition commending them for their outstanding work and service.

Boyd is a 10-year veteran at Central Communications. Upton has served as an officer in Delran for 21 years.

“The stork may have been grounded by the weather but Dispatcher Boyd and Officer Upton rose to the occasion and provided a huge assist to this new mom and dad and the baby girl they safely welcomed into the world,” said O’Connell, who serves as the Board’s liaison to the County Department of Public Safety. “Our entire Board wish to extend our congratulations to the new mother and father and also to Dispatcher Boyd and Officer Upton for a job well done.”

The Commissioner said the incident highlights the important role of Central Communications in safeguarding the public’s health, safety and welfare.

“While plenty of people had off or worked from home during the storm, our highway crews, dispatchers and first responders were right there at their posts. Days like that are part of the job but this incident provides a welcome reminder of how important all our public safety professionals are and the heroics they perform every day,” O’Connell added.

Delran Mayor Gary Catrambone and Councilman Tyler Burrell also participated in the recognition ceremony and applauded the actions of both Boyd and Upton, saying they reflected the best traditions of Burlington County’s Public Safety Department and Delran’s Police Department.

“These public safety professionals deserve all the praise and accolades we can extend to them for their service,” Mayor Catrambone said. “With their cool assistance, Delran welcomed its newest resident and made both our Township and entire county proud.”

Based in Westampton at the Burlington County Public Safety Building, Central Communications answers 911 calls from all 40 towns in Burlington County, while also providing police dispatch service to all 33 police agencies in the County and fire and emergency medical dispatch service for all municipalities in the county.

Last year, the agency fielded a total of 179,506 911 calls and 753,333 non-emergency calls. Dispatchers also assisted with 553,426 police calls, 29,741 fire calls and 55,531 emergency medical service calls.