08/21/2026
**Outstanding Action By 911 Dispatch**
The Paterson Fire Department would like to publicly acknowledge the extraordinary actions of one of our public safety telecommunicators: Supervising PST Lenore Byfield.
Today, Supervisory PST Byfield fielded a call from a frantic woman who was in active labor. PST Byfield remained calm, professional, compassionate, and focused and was able to successfully coach the caller through an extremely critical moment. The baby was successfully delivered by the mother prior to the arrival of emergency units thanks to the actions of Supervisory PST Byfield. The baby and mother were then transported to the hospital by EMS 5, Car 9, and ALS 703 who further assisted with the remainder of the delivery process. Excellent teamwork by all responders from the start of the call all the way through to arrival at the hospital.
The actions of PST Byfield undoubtedly reassured the caller through a tough situation and exemplify the professionalism, dedication, and training of our communications division.
OEM Central dispatch, which falls under the purview of The Paterson Fire Department, is a critical link to keeping our residents and responders safe.
