Lt. Sean Dolan wasn’t surprised to see a local phone number pop up on the marine inspector (MI) duty phone. Vessel operators often call Sector Buffalo command center with regulatory questions and inspection requests.
It wasn’t a vessel operator calling.
“On the phone was a very raspy, gasping kind of voice,” Dolan said. The man, 89, had fallen in his residence and couldn’t get up. He had called the MI number in error. Dolan asked the gentleman for his name, age, and address.
Dolan kept the victim on the phone, letting him know help was on the way. “I just tried to keep him talking – nothing really in particular, we exchanged small talk just to keep him conscious and aware of what was going on,” Dolan said. “I just knew he needed some help, and my gut instinct said not to leave him alone,”
Meanwhile, as Dolan was keeping the elderly gentleman engaged, in true team fashion, the Sector Buffalo command center crew including Petty Officers Frist Class Stephen Veda, Ian Miller, Gregory Beckham, Petty Officer Second Class Taylor Colon and Petty Officer Third Class Gabriel Carrasquillo directed Cheektowaga, N.Y., Fire and EMS to the scene.
Finally, the victim’s nephew arrived and let the rescue crews in. He took his uncle’s phone to let the Coast Guard marine inspectors and command center personnel know that EMTs were tending to his uncle, and to thank them for their unexpected service that day.
Although he hasn’t been trained to take medical emergency calls, Dolan said his actions came naturally. “We’re trained to have the bias for helping, the bias for action, and I’d expect almost anyone in the Coast Guard to do the same,” Dolan said. “He accidentally called the right number that day and I was just happy to help.”
It was indeed a perfect storm of events that led to this happy outcome and the team at Sector Buffalo with a true bias for action, answered that call!