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Posted by: DANIPD

Published: April 17, 2008 05:45 am ShareThisPrintThis
911 dispatcher in Ipswich lauded for cool response
By Steve Landwehr
Staff writer


IPSWICH — Emergency 911 dispatcher David Irvine was one of 11 dispatchers commended statewide yesterday with presentation of the first Massachusetts 911 Honors Awards.
Irvine could not be on hand for the ceremonies in Mechanics Hall in Worcester — he booked a cruise months ago, police Chief Gavin Keenan said yesterday.
Irvine was working the desk at 5 p.m. on Nov. 9. The caller was using a cell phone and said he'd been hit by a car and was badly injured. To make matters worse, he did not live locally and had no idea where he was.
Keenan said Irvine calmly kept the victim talking — "On the 911 tape, you can hear him fading in and out" — and tried to elicit clues.
In the meantime, officers tracked the GPS signal from the man's phone and figured he was somewhere in the vicinity of Asbury Street in Topsfield. It turns out he had been hit so hard he'd been knocked into a field.
Topsfield and Ipswich police officers searched the scene and finally found the victim, who had suffered multiple fractures.
"He was in tremendous pain and suffering," Keenan said. The man was airlifted to a Boston hospital for treatment.
Topsfield police Chief Evan Haglund said the hit-and-run case remains under investigation. Based on evidence found at the scene, Haglund said the car involved is possibly German-made and light in color. There were no eye witnesses.
Keenan said Irvine gave the victim hope that help was on its way.
"He did a great job," Keenan said. "He's a credit to the place."
Irvine aspires to a career in law enforcement and is a member of the reserve force, Keenan said

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Posted by: rokurmthr61

good job!!

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Posted by: DeputyFife

With David Irvine, you're in good hands

By Wendall Waters/wwaters@cnc.com

Tue Apr 29, 2008, 04:24 PM EDT

Ipswich -


Ipswich - From behind his desk in Ipswich, David Irvine helped save the life of a man who was hit by a car in Topsfield.
Irvine, a communications officer with the Police Department, works the dispatch center at the station on Elm Street. He is deskbound a lot but when it comes to fighting crime and saving lives, his efforts are vital to the department's success.
On Nov. 8, Irvine received a call from someone who had been hit by a car. The victim didn't know where he was. It fell to Irvine to figure it out and get help to the scene as soon as possible.
Now, he's being recognized for staying calm and focused and making use of every tool at his disposal to help the victim.
Irvine was honored by the State Emergency Telecommunications Board. And, Monday night at the selectmen's meeting, Ipswich Police Chief Gavin Keenan presented him with an award. Before presenting it, Keenan read the letter of commendation he sent to Irvine.
In the letter, Keenan said, "Throughout this incident, you remained calm and focused and maintained communication with the caller. Using your knowledge of the local area gained through your years of experience, coupled with the GPS technology inherent in the 911 system, you were able to approximate the caller's location on Asbury Street in Topsfield. You then directed the appropriate emergency services to the caller's location. As a result, the caller, who had sustained multiple fractures from a hit and run driver, was flown into Boston for emergency surgery."
In closing, Keenan said Irvine's actions speak to the high level of commitment he brings to his job.
"You are a credit to this department and community," Keenan said. "Thank you for a job well done."
Selectmen Chairman Elizabeth Kilcoyne and other members of the board shook hands with Irvine and congratulated him.







Photo by Wendall Waters
Police Chief Gavin Keenan gives Communications Officer David Irvine an award for his recent efforts to help the victim of a motor vehicle crash.

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