COTA DE CAZA (CNS) - Orange County Fire Authority officials today released the 911 call made after Olympic gold medal skier Bode Miller's 19-month-old daughter was fished out of a neighbor's pool. The callers frantically pleaded for paramedics to hurry as a dispatcher talked them through efforts to revive Emeline Gier Miller, who was pronounced dead late Sunday at Children's Hospital of Orange County.
As one of the callers said, ``hurry, hurry,'' the dispatcher kept asking, ``What is the emergency?''When it was clear the victim had fallen into a pool and was pulled out, the dispatcher asked if anyone on scene knew CPR.``Does she have a pulse,'' he asked?``There is a pulse,'' one of the callers replied.``Coach me through it, please,'' one of the callers told the dispatcher on how to do CPR.
The dispatcher advised the child's caretakers to put ``the baby on a firm, flat surface,'' and to ``tilt her head back and see if she's breathing.''She had a slight pulse, but was not breathing and coughing up water, the callers said.``How long was she in the pool,'' the dispatcher asked?``We don't know,'' one of the callers replied. ``I need an oxygen machine here right now.''The dispatcher assured the callers that paramedics were ``coming as fast as they can.''The dispatcher kept telling the callers to roll the baby over on her side to get the water out of her lungs.``She's trying, she's trying, water's still coming out,'' one caller said.
One of the callers several times kept encouraging Emeline.``C'mon, baby girl, you got this,'' she said. The dispatcher told the callers to breathe gently into the child's mouth ``until the chest gently rises,'' to get air in her lungs.
As the seconds dragged on, one of the callers exclaimed, ``Get a (expletive) ambulance here.''Again, they were advised that paramedics were ``coming as fast as they can... They're just about there, down the street.''Orange County firefighters were dispatched to a home in Cota de Caza at 6:28 p.m. Saturday, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Tony Bommarito.
Miller's wife, Morgan, was visiting a neighbor when their daughter ended up in a pool, said OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi. Bode Miller was not there, he added. The mother, a Newport Beach native, professional beach volleyball player and model, ``jumped into the pool and pulled her out,'' Concialdi said. An Orange County sheriff's deputy who was first on the scene provided CPR, said Carrie Braun of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The toddler was initially rushed to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo in grave condition, Concialdi said.
There was no gate around the pool, Concialdi said. It's important to keep a close eye on children around a pool, because they can drown quickly, Concialdi said.``It only takes seconds to inhale water into your lungs,'' he said.
There were 98 drowning incidents in Orange County last year with 42 victims dying, Concialdi said. As of June 9 this year, there have been 21 drowning calls with 13 leading to deaths. Seven of the drowning incidents involved children younger than 5 with two leading to deaths, according to the OCFA. There were seven drowning incidents involving adults 50 and older with all but one dying.
``We are beyond devastated,'' the couple wrote in a statement on social media. ``Never in a million years did we think we would experience a pain like this. Her love, her light, her spirit will never be forgotten. Our little girl loved life and lived it to its fullest every day.''