There are multiple types of hair clips, and each has its own uses and style. He said the police department would be investigating its policies into responses and their dispatch center in the wake of Stevens' death. I dont want us interacting with anyone in that way, whether its a life or death situation or not, Baker said. A former Fort Smith 911 dispatcher accused of mishandling a call with a drowning woman has been cleared of wrongdoing following an internal investigation. Girl, 2, looks star-struck as she presents Kate with a gift of Daffodils for St David's Mike Tindall's latest money-making scheme! 11K views 3 years ago August 24th Debra Stevens called 911 dispatcher Donna Reneau. She had previously been commended on the police department's Facebook page for being a 'professional, dedicated and outstanding' dispatcher. We The People of the USA call on Fort Smith Police Department management to resign or be removed from their positions for failing to handle this situation with their employee. Police acknowledged the 911 call sounded 'calloused and uncaring at times' but insisted that 'sincere efforts' were made to try and located Stevens. Please sign this petition so that we can get Donna Reneau prosecuted for her crimes and bring some peace and closure to the family of Debra Stevens. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. Oh Baby - two of FOX 5 DC's evening anchors announce they're pregnant. A paper delivery woman who drove into a flooded area drowned after being reprimanded by a now-former 911 dispatcher. 'Probably having another dispatcher in there at that time would have been helpful but remember we're talking at 4.30 in the morning so getting folks down there to assist with dispatch would have been difficult,' Baker said. She's under water now.'. He said the police department would be investigating its policies into responses and their dispatch center in the wake of Stevens' death. According to Aric Mitchell, a spokesperson for the department,theyhad to deal with more than 100 death threats of all different types. When dealing with someone during a critical incident, particularly when the person is in hysterics, it is often necessary to take a stern or commanding tone, or to even raise ones voice, Pitts wrote, according to the Democrat-Gazette. Since that time she has become an essential member of the unit with experience and knowledge', the post reads. ', Stevens eventually asked the dispatcher to pray with her while she waited for first responders to arrive and Reneau replied: 'You go ahead and start the prayer. We are looking at what we can do to increase training for our dispatchers, swift water rescues, and other things.. The dispatcher hung up. Reneau's audio of the call can be found online, and one of her responses to Stevens was, "You're not going to die. A woman in Arkansas drowned in floodwaters shortly after getting on the phone with an emergency dispatcher who scolded her for driving during the storm. (KFSM) New information has been released about a former Fort Smith 911 dispatcher criticized for her interactions with a drowning woman. ", "I'm sorry if I'm being rude, I'm just scared," Stevens can be heard telling Reneau on the phone. The Fort Smith Police Department are sweeping this under the table and refusing to take any criminal action against their employee who failed to do her job and caused a death as a result. Luke Kenton For Dailymail.com The content produced by YourTango is for informational and educational purposes only. "We'll get you help and get you out of there." Reneau also suggested dispatchers get a distress break after taking a high-stress call. I'm horribly sorry that it wasn't possible.'. Reneau had worked for the Fort Smith Police Department for five years, serving as a certified trainer for new employees, and was named fire dispatcher of the year in February, according to. Donna Marie Reneau, who previously was 'dispatcher of the year' at the Fort Smith Police Department, resigned Aug. 23, the same day she scolded drowning victim Debra Stevens during a 22-minutes 9-1-1 call, which she was thankful that Baker "personally reached out to her to check on her after the traumatic incident". Stevens explained on the call that she was trapped in her car and that the water flooding the interior was already up to her chest and to make matters worse, she couldn't swim. Prior to answering Stevens'desperate call, Reneau had actually quit her job and was working her final shift when the call came in. Once Stevens called 911 after she got stuck in her car, she was met with an unsympathetic dispatcher who scolded her multiple times even in her final moments of life. Police Chief Danny Baker at the time said he could completely understand the 'disgust and concern' people have had over the interaction between the dispatcher and Stevens. They said the 911 operator had dispatched Fort Smith Fire and Police units to help her but it made it difficult because she couldn't describe her exact location. Reneau's interactions with Stevens made national news. As Stevens began to panic, Reneau's responses . I don't know why you're freaking out.". Stevens repeatedly apologized to the dispatcher, saying she didn't even see the water before she drove into it and that she had never done anything like this before. Scotland's Quest For The Missing Remains Of Lilias Adie, An Accused Witch Who Killed Herself, The True Story Of Hattori Hanz: From 16th-Century Japan To Kill Bill, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Baker said 911 had been inundated with calls at the time from people who were also stranded in flood waters. 'You're not going to die. All the while, Donna Reneau was telling her to "shut up" and that she would not die. Story continues below. He said at the time that the police department would be investigating its policies into responses and their dispatch center in the wake of Stevens' death. I know the water level is high but you freaking out is doing nothing but losing your oxygen so calm down,' Reneau said in the audio. 'I have worked at the FSPD for almost 5 yrs now and truly care about my job and the people I talk to on a daily basis', Reneau says. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. 5.58am: Rescuers get to vehicle and remove Stevens' body. Debra Stevens did die. Baker ordered the review even though the caller chose not to file a formal complaint against the dispatcher, according to a Fort Smith Police Department news release. When Stevens explained that she hadnt seen the water coming before her car was swept up in it, Reneau made no attempt to mask her disbelief. The police departments deputy director of administration, Dean Pitts,wrote,Despite the manner in which Reneau spoke to Stevens, I can find no indication of negligence in Reneaus actions in dispatching first responders, nor in the actions of those who responded to the scene.. Feel like youre always looking at a screen? 5.02am: Responders report they have located the vehicle. I'm gonna drown,'" Diane recalled. 2023byTango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved. "The 911 call came in at 4:38 a.m. and was answered by Donna Reneau, who had previously turned in her two . "This will teach you next time don't drive in the water," Reneau said. Brian Walshe Charged With Murder of Wife Ana Walshe, Missing Massachusetts Mom of 3 Last Seen in December, Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger Messaged University of Idaho Victim Multiple Times Prior to Her Death: Report, Missing 4-Year-Old Athena Brownfield Was Beaten to Death on Christmas Day by Male Caretaker, Authorities Say, Lisa Marie Presley Died Deep in Debt, Left Graceland to Daughter Riley Keough, Miss USA RBonney Gabrie Shows Off Her NYC Apartment After Being Crowned Miss Universe, 'Cult Mom' Lori Vallow 'Participated in Killing of Her Children' and Should Face Death Penalty: Prosecutors. Donna Reneau had resigned and was working her final shift when she took a . 4.38am: 911 call received. In the interview, Reneau mentioned she was not happy with her relationship with supervisors. Please help me. Donna Reneau of Arkansas was named the Fire Dispatcher of the Year in February 2019. and Reneau responded: 'A lot of people have called in on you, so don't think people are just sitting there. Dispatcher Donna Reneau from the Fort Smith Police Department had given her two-weeks notice and was working her very last shift when 47-year-old Debra Stevens called in. https://t.co/FqdZG2W6zZ pic.twitter.com/nlO9WLILcP, FOX 32 News (@fox32news) August 31, 2019. Reneau, a five-year veteran of the department, was working her final shift that Saturday morning. 5.02am: Responders report they have located the vehicle. Absolutely,' he said. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. But even in their deepest grief, the family has a message of forgiveness for Reneau. When Stevens said she needed to vomit, Reneau hit back saying: 'Well you're in water, you can throw up it's not going to matter'. An internal. Bettering work conditions - A former 911 dispatcher in Arkansas was cleared of any wrongdoing in how she handled a call in which she scolded a panicking woman for driving into floodwaters before she drowned. FORT SMITH, Ark. https://t.co/6w4OjW3sv2, Ali McGinnis (@AliRoland) August 31, 2019. She was still genuine and sincere and kind and lovingand respectful.". Reneau responded. The. Authorities said that when they did eventually locate her, rising waters made an immediate rescue impossible. Stevens repeatedly apologized to the dispatcher, saying she didn't even see the water before she drove into it and that she had never done anything like this before. She had submitted her two-weeks' notice in early August. Baker acknowledged Reneau would have faced disciplinary action if she still worked with the department but said he couldn't see anything that would have been cause for termination or a criminal investigation. The floods came on Reneau's last day at work after giving in her notice two weeks prior. I cant get out and Im scared to death, maam. ", Reneau also tells her at another point, "You're gonna have to shut up, OK?". The investigation was. Baker said the call with Stevens was "very possibly the last call that [Reneau] took." Stevens asked Reneau if the police would take her home after she was rescued so she could care for her dogs. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to benefit Stevens' husband, Marcus Stevens. Until August 2019, Reneau had an extremely stressful job. ", "Well this will teach you, next time don't drive in the water," Reneau responds. 4.41am: Fire department is dispatched to the scene. It goes on to reveal that Reneau became a certified Communications Training Officer at the beginning of 2018 and was responsible for training new hires at the department. Stevens eventually asked the dispatcher to pray with her while she waited for first responders to arrive and Reneau replied: 'You go ahead and start the prayer'. Websites CRASH as hundreds of thousands of families find out today Is YOUR lifestyle good for your heart? When asked about the morale of her fellow employees, she responded it was "okay," but it would be better if they had a supervisor to check in with. When first responders were finally able to reach Stevens and remove her from her car, she had already drowned. 'You're not the only one who has been stuck in the water. During the 22-minute-long call at 4.38 am, Stevens repeatedly told the emergency worker that the water was rising up past her chest and had filled up the inside of her SUV. The comments below have not been moderated, By An Arkansas 911 dispatcher who scolded a drowning woman telling her to shut up just moments before she died has been cleared of all wrongdoing following an internal investigation, according to reports. Her car had been swept . Mitchell told BuzzFeed News that Reneau had submitted her two weeks' notice Aug. 9. However, she was once billed by superiors as a dedicated operator who always does an outstanding job, as part of a glowing Facebook post during National Telecommunicators Week in April 2018. 5.16am: Rescue boat arrives and is launched. Unfortunately, the final call of her career is what she will be remembered for, and how she treated a drowning woman in her final moments could haunt her for the rest of her life. Stevens repeatedly told the dispatcher that she was going to die because the water was rising up past her chest and had engulfed the inside of her SUV. 'You're not going to die. 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