911 dispatcher falls asleep during a call placed on April 4th, according to the Huffington Post. A Maryland woman started to get a little concerned when her husband stopped breathing and started turning blue. Being a responsible, clear-minded adult, she picked up the phone and called 911. After explaining the scenario to the operator, she was then connected to the ambulance dispatcher.

Instead of a helpful, friendly voice, the distraught woman was met with silence, followed by the sound of someone sawing logs. The lady made several attempts to rouse the dispatcher from this mid-shift slumber, though nothing seemed to be working. When the original operator decided to step in to help, she assumed that the snoring was coming from the woman’s husband, not from one of the 911 employees.

Four minutes into the call, the sleepy-eyed dispatcher suddenly sprang to life, asking the woman for her address. Fortunately for the lady and her non-breathing husband, help eventually arrived and everything was a-okay. The dozing dispatcher, meanwhile, has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. It’s worth noting, however, that the individual in question was 17 hours into a 24 hour shift.

Assistant Chief Scott Graham claims that, in the two dozen years he’s been on the job, this is the first time he’s encountered an operator sleeping during a call.

The very thought of someone catching a quick nap while you’re attempting to call for help is more than a little horrifying. Folks on Twitter seem to think this sort of thing is inexcusable, and I happen to agree. You can find a small cluster of reactions to the dozing dispatcher story below.