SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Editor's note: The above video on new children's books by a Maine author and an illustrator aired on "207" on Nov. 22.
What started as a "seemingly normal day" for a Scarborough Police Department dispatcher turned into one 23-year-old Amanda Marden will remember forever.
On Monday around 7 p.m., Marden answered a call from an Old Orchard Beach family saying a woman was in active labor. She's only been a dispatcher for about a year and a half, but Marden said this scenario is part of the job training.
"Within seconds, you just have to keep your composure and make sure I can stay calm and sound calm,' Marden said. "It's definitely a lot, and the biggest thing is how you come across: being clear with your instructions and your tone of voice."
Marden estimated she was on the phone with the family for about seven minutes while emergency crews made their way to the home. Usually, she said, crews arrive before the baby is delivered, but not this time. Marden was still on the phone when she heard the healthy baby boy crying on the other end.
"It was great. That is the best sound you can hear in that situation, knowing everything went well, and there were no issues," Marden said.
First responders arrived shortly after the birth and cared for the mother and baby.
"Dispatcher Marden’s calm demeanor, precise, compassionate, and appropriate instructions all provided not only critical life safety care, but a soft, confident, and reassuring voice to the caller, the mother, and the new baby boy. Mom and baby are healthy and recovering," the Scarborough Police Department wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday.
According to the post, Marden has been nominated to receive the Stork Award from the Maine Emergency Medical Services Bureau and has been accepted into the “Stork Club” of the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch.
"All in all, it was an incredible experience," Marden said. "I really couldn't have asked for a better outcome for everyone involved."