Central Falls dispatcher who saved newborn’s life honored at City Hall

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (WLNE) — It was a heartwarming morning in Central Falls, where Mayor Maria Rivera presented a city dispatcher with a certification after his quick-thinking actions saved the life of a newborn baby that wasn’t breathing last month.

It was a nightmare scenario for any parent, especially the parents of that newborn toddler, who ran to the fire department on Sept. 10 after their baby’s face turned blue and she stopped breathing.

Nervous and in a panic, they ran and banged on the door of the Central Falls Fire Department, where thankfully they were greeted by dispatcher Timothy Greves, who administered back blows to the newborn toddler until she started breathing again.

Greves described the moments of that night, saying he heard the family banging at his door outside. He initially thought the building across the street may have been on fire but when he got to the door, he found those parents holding their newborn daughter.

“She was grey and blue, which is not a good sign, and our training and our instincts kicked in and we did what we’re trained to do,” Greves said.

He’s been called a hero by many over the past month since he saved that newborn girl’s life. But for Greves he was just doing what he’s supposed to do.

“I’m not a hero. I just did what anyone else would do,” Greves said.

Thursday morning, in front of a room full of firefighters, fellow dispatchers, and city officials, Rivera presented Greves with a certification recognizing his life-saving work, that, as Central Falls Fire Chief Scott Mello described, came with just seconds to spare in that newborn life.

“The outcome would’ve been much worse if it wasn’t for Tim’s action,” Mello said.