Delivering More than Professionalism

Deputy Presiding Officer Kara Hahn this week honored Suffolk County FRES Emergency Service Dispatcher Stephanie Bukowinski for her calm, collected and professional conduct during an active labor call earlier this month. The recognition came during a press conference calling on State lawmakers to adopt legislation classifying all public safety dispatchers, emergency responders, emergency operators, emergency complaint operators, and emergency services dispatchers as first responders under New York State law.

Suffolk County FRES Emergency Service Dispatcher Bukowinski’s actions underscore the vital role these first, first responders have in assisting County residents during times of need.

On Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at approximately 3:15 in the afternoon, Dispatcher Bukowinski received an emergency call from an expected mother who was in active labor while enroute to a local hospital for delivery. During the call, Bukowinski convinced the expected mother and her husband to pull over within a Lake Grove parking lot and wait for help to arrive. While dispatching first responders to that location, Bukowinsk concluded the baby's head was crowning and the child’s birth was imminent and began giving delivery instructions to the couple, who successfully delivered a girl in the parking lot prior to the arrival of a medical unit.