Staff Report
SAN MARCOS — At approximately 2:32 a.m. Aug. 19, Hays County Emergency Communications Officer Eden Dunn received a 9-1-1 call from a Kyle resident urgently seeking help for her husband, who was unconscious.
Dunn immediately dispatched emergency personnel and calmly guided the caller through CPR instructions, until EMS arrived on scene at 2:39 a.m.
According to a Hays County Sheriff’s Office news release, the husband went into cardiac arrest at 35 years old and spent 17 days in the hospital. Due to Dunn’s guidance, the rapid response of first responders and the excellent work by the hospital staff, the patient survived, stated the news release.
On Thursday, Oct. 9, Ascension Seton Hays Hospital honored Dunn, as well as San Marcos/Hays County EMS, Kyle Fire Department and Ascension Seton Medical and Cardiology team, for their efforts during a Life-Saving Reunion, presenting Dunn and the first responders with a Life-Saving Award.
The Kyle family was included in the reunion and requested the opportunity to meet Dunn in person to express their gratitude, describing the dispatcher as “so calm and helpful,” during such a traumatic moment.
“The Hays County Sheriff’s Office is incredibly proud of our dedicated dispatchers,” said Sheriff Anthony Hipolito. “They undergo months of intensive training and handle life-and-death calls every day. Their work may happen behind the scenes, but they are the true lifeline of our community. We are always recognizing their good work and want the public to see the faces behind the voices who help keep Hays County safe.”
All of Hays County dispatchers are trained in International Academies of Emergency Dispatch training and get re-certified every two years.
