When winter storm Izzy dumped snow and ice on parts of the region during the early morning hours of Jan. 17, Lycoming County Department of Public Safety’s Telecommunicator Clinton Frackman was on hand to help a frightened mother on the telephone deliver her premature twins.

“The mother was very hesitant on delivering her baby at home and extremely anxious. She was constantly inquiring when the ambulance would arrive,” Beth Baylor, the department’s 911 manager, said.

A telecommunicator is an individual trained to handle 911 calls and dispatch emergency equipment to the scene.

Frackman took the Sullivan County mother’s call and “through his repetitive persistence, calming techniques and utilizing his emergency medical dispatch training, he was successful in coaching her through a successful birth,” Baylor said. The 911 center handles emergency calls for both Lycoming and Sullivan counties.

“When the baby was delivered, she was born in the amniotic sac, which required specialized care. Clinton provided the mother with instructions on how to break the sac and how to clear the baby’s airway to ensure that she was breathing,” Baylor said.

“It was at this point, the mother told Clinton that she was pregnant with twins and that a second birth was coming shortly,” the 911 manager said.

“Just like the first, this delivery presented its own challenges as the baby, another girl, was born breech. However, using his training, Clinton ensured a healthy delivery,” Baylor said.

“After both girls were born, Clinton continued to provide patient-care instructions cleaning and warming the infants” as well as helping the mother until an ambulance arrived and emergency medical technicians on the ambulance took over care, Baylor said. The ambulance arrived 20 minutes after the mother called 911.

Because of his “extraordinary handling of this call,” Frackman will receive the Telecommunicator of the Year Award next week at the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials conference in Lancaster.

Frackman, who has been with 911 for two years, played a critical role in providing instruction and comfort to the anxious parents, Baylor said.

“He was able to provide excellent service to the caller as well as clear and precise instructions that assisted in the healthy birth of two baby girls. I am very proud of Clint and all our telecommunicators for their dedication to the citizens they serve and the exceptional job they do every day,” she added.