"Relief."

That is how Hicksville Fire Department dispatcher Tim Mooney described his reaction after he heard the cries of a baby who had just been resuscitated by his grandmother after he had stopped breathing.

Mooney was thrust into service when he received a call from Gail Cote, who explained that her grandson, Zachary DeMeo, had stopped breathing and was turning blue. He quickly dispatched an emergency vehicle to her residence, but realized that if she waited for an emergency vehicle it might be too late to save the baby.

Mooney, a volunteer fireman and Emergency Medical Technician for the Bethpage Fire Department, then gave Cote emergency breathing instructions over the phone. He calmly talked her through the life-saving procedure including mouth-to-mouth breathing and chest massage.

By the time paramedics arrived on the scene Zachary was breathing again. They then stabilized him and transported him to the hospital.

"She followed the instructions right to the tee," said Mooney of Zachary's grandmother. "She calmly, and under great stress, performed the instructions given to her perfectly."

Mooney explained time was of the essence in this situation, because even under the best of circumstances, emergency vehicles would have taken five minutes to arrive on the scene.

"When you get a call for a baby not breathing, the time factor becomes a little more critical," said Mooney .

It was not unusual for Mooney to stay on the line with the frantic grandmother. "When it comes to babies or little kids I try to stay on the phone until help gets there...People get reassured if someone is speaking with them," explained Mooney. "When you are sharing your problem with someone else it gets a little bit easier to bear."

Mooney has worked as the Hicksville Fire Department's emergency dispatcher for the last ten years. He is also a volunteer fireman for the Bethpage Fire Department where he serves as the EMS Coordinator and is a member of their tactical rescue team. Using his emergency expertise to help save Zachary would normally not be a problem for Mooney, but in this situation he had to convey that knowledge to Zachary's grandmother and she would have to save his life.

"I just thought about what I would do if I were there and I then relayed that to her. I realized what was going on and what information I had to get to her so she could help the child."

For Mooney this was just part of the job, and he was glad he could help, but even he admitted that this call held a little more significance than the average rescue call. He explained that he and his wife are expecting their first child in two months.

"You are not personally attached to this child, but once you are pushed into the situation, you feel for the parents," said Mooney. "You want to help them, you want to help the child, and you want to help them help the child."