Hometown Hero Receives First T.O.P. Save Award
“It was something out of a movie. We got to see our units coming out of the woods, in the middle of nowhere, and save these three stranded on the side of a river.”
It’s not every day as a 911 dispatcher that you get to experience a call like that. For Haleigh Cline, what started as a normal day with Davidson County 911 (North Carolina) quickly turned into one she’d never forget. Haleigh is the first ever recipient of the Prepared T.O.P. (Telecommunicator Operating Prepared Live) Save Award for her actions in service of her community while using Prepared Live. This is her story.
Hometown hero
Haleigh Cline was born and raised in the community she serves: Davidson County, North Carolina. From a young age, she was drawn to the idea of working in public safety, she says, “I think it started from watching it all on TV and just wanting to be a part of it, all the while knowing that it’s really nothing like what’s on TV.”
After graduating from Forsyth Tech with degrees in Criminal Justice and Forensic Science, Haleigh began to explore the idea of a career in public safety. Her best friend was working at Davidson County 911 and helped her apply and get a role with the agency.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“I absolutely love talking to people on the phone,” Haleigh says, “And knowing that I can help somebody who appears to be in some kind of situation where they don’t know how to help themselves is fulfilling.”
Being part of the Thin Gold Line is a source of great pride for Haleigh. She speaks highly of her teammates in Davidson County and her selflessness is evident as she attempts to divert any praise toward the entire team, rather than just herself, saying, “It’s not just me, it’s the center here that steps forward.”
Her first memorable save involved an injured hiker that was stuck in a bad situation off a hiking trail. Recounting the story, Haleigh says, “He fell…and hurt his leg pretty bad. EMS said the bone ended up snapped in two, so he was in a good bit of pain. I ended up getting to talk with him, stay with him, and keep him calm…keep him focused on the fact that help was getting to him.”
Continuing to display her altruism, with a bit of a laugh, she says, “It didn’t take very long to get our units out to him but I felt bad because they had to hike a good bit to get to him.”
Learning new things
Even though Haleigh is early in her career as a telecommunicator, she sees the waves of change sweeping through 911. More and more, telecommunicators are empowered by new technologies that help them save lives.
When her center launched Prepared Live, Haleigh was eager to learn about and use the new tool. Of her early experiences, she says, “It’s definitely been a really useful tool to have in our center….It’s helped to put us in the perspective of the caller, knowing what they’re going through.”
For a dispatcher like Haleigh, one who is driven by empathy for the caller, getting to see exactly what they see can only aid her ability to help. She says, “It’s definitely been a tool to sense the [caller's] amount of urgency, see exactly what the caller is seeing. It’s helped to get perspective that we don’t normally get to see.”
Recently, she was able to use Prepared Live for a once-in-a-lifetime Save - a save that earned her the first-ever Prepared T.O.P. Save Award.
A "T.O.P." save
Two males and a female were journeying down Yadkin River in a small jon boat when they accidentally ended up in white water rapids. Their vessel capsized but they were able to tie it down and swim to the side of the river. The female smartly saved the backpack that held their phone and keys.
When she reached the river bank, she dialed 911, reached Davidson County 911, and began communicating with Haleigh. At first, the location data they received was not perfectly pinpoint. Haleigh, with help from her colleagues, was able to triangulate location using a combination of Prepared Live’s GPS location and other software.
Haleigh then asked the caller to share live video. As the caller scanned over the scene, Haleigh saw the boat, nearly submerged and tied to a tree to keep from floating away. She was also able to acquire a complete view of where exactly the trio were stuck on the river, including minute details that would’ve been unknown without live video.
After passing the location information and a description of the scene shown by the caller with first responders, Haleigh stayed on the line (and the livestream) to help keep the caller and the two males calm.
Describing the visual, Haleigh says, “We stayed on the line and on the video feed until our units were able to get there….it was something out of a movie,” continuing, “We got to see our units coming out of the woods, in the middle of nowhere, and save these three stranded on the side of a river.”
Of Prepared Live, she says, “It was definitely something that helped us get them help exactly where they needed and know exactly what happened.”
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Haleigh’s story is that of a person born to serve others. We at Prepared are proud to have her using our software to help save lives and aid members of her community.
As the interview concluded and we discussed her T.O.P. save, Haleigh said “It was definitely something I will never forget…being a new TC to the room it’s been an excitement filled journey to say the least. To be able to help those that really need it and guide them in the direction they need to be in is exhilarating...using Prepared Live to help further that has been an honor for our center and it’s been amazing.”
The honor is all our’s, Haleigh.
