'Many Heroes' Recognized For Saving Glenview Man's Life: Village Board

GLENVIEW, IL — As noted by Glenview Village President Mike Jenny at Tuesday night's Glenview Village Board meeting, it is rare for a 911 telecommunicator to learn the outcome of an emergency call they receive as they typically hang up the phone once help arrives. This was not the case regarding an emergency that occurred in the village last year, with all involved recognized as the recipients of life-saving awards.

"In my 30 years, this is only my fifth time to be able to present to a board a story like this, and it's quite an honor," Brent Reynolds, public safety support services director, said prior to telling the story.

According to Reynolds, at around 8 p.m. Oct. 18, 2022, Glenview resident Susan called 911 to request an ambulance to her home in Glenview. The resident reported her friend, Andy Davis, was having a seizure and was unable to breathe. Neva Hankins, supervisor of the public safety dispatch center, took the call. Reynolds said Hankins "swiftly" gathered the location information, and police and firefighter personnel were dispatched to the home by her partners. Hankins continued to gather important information regarding the situation from the resident.

As the caller provided Hankins more details, the supervisor realized the person was in cardiac arrest. Reynolds said that in less than two minutes, Hankins coached the caller to get the patient to the ground, and start performing CPR, to which Susan responded, "let's go."

The two counted out the CPR technique together until emergency personnel arrived on the scene and took over. Davis was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

"Many things went right that evening. Susan, being a first time 911 caller, was brave. She listened and provided the right information to dispatch," Reynolds said. "The 911 caller, Supervisor Hankins, heard what Susan was saying and the patient in the background, and made the decision this was more than a seizure."

Reynolds also lauded the police and fire department dispatchers, Megan Robbins and Tracy Spevacek, who got the emergency units to the scene.

"The fire department arrived swiftly on scene, assessed the situation, and the patient had a pulse at the time of transport to the hospital," Reynolds said. "There were many heroes that night and they're all in the room tonight."

Davis and Susan were in attendance at Tuesday night's meeting and gathered with the dispatchers, fire and police personnel, and representatives from Lutheran General Hospital.