Chicago emergency call taker honored for saving man's life

CHICAGO - A Chicago emergency call taker is being honored for being calm under pressure, and her actions gave a man who unknowingly had a connection to her family a second chance at life.

George Mayteh collapsed while making a Facebook Marketplace transaction, but fortunately, his boss got on the phone with operator Amanda Garr.

Garr calmly talked her through how to save his life. It turns out, Mayteh is a retired firefighter who had worked with Garr’s father, a battalion chief.

Garr says her job as a fire communications operator is a calling, so to speak, and clearly runs deep in her genes.

"It's me and that caller and anything that I can do to get them to listen and understand that I am sending help their way," Garr said. "My great grandfather, grandfather, father, uncles, all of us are on the fire department in some aspects."

Garr’s supervisor says she has the ability to calm people and guide them through difficult situations, as evidenced by the outcome she was honored for.