DOVER, Del.—Police dispatchers in Delaware’s capital city are being praised for their role in directing rescuers to a boat in distress in the English Channel thousands of miles away.
Dispatchers in the city of Dover found themselves at the heart of an international rescue effort last month after receiving a call from an Albanian man who believed he was contacting emergency services in Dover, England.
The mix-up occurred on Aug. 27 when the man discovered that his brother’s boat was sinking in the English Channel, according to Delaware authorities.
“The caller had searched online for the ‘Dover Police Department’ and the first search result led him to the Dover, Delaware Police Department,” police officials stated in a press release on Thursday. “The caller thought he was reaching out to Dover, England but connected with our agency in the United States.”
Realizing that redirecting the distressed caller to authorities in England could waste valuable time, Communications Operator MacKenzie Atkinson kept the man on the line and gathered crucial information. The caller provided the vessel’s coordinates, and Atkinson, who had recently obtained certification from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, followed distress vessel protocols, officials said.
Meanwhile, Communications Officer Connor Logan initiated international notifications. Within four minutes, he established contact with several agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, French Coast Guard, His Majesty’s Coastguard in England, the United Kingdom’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Coordination Center, and police stations in Dover, England, officials reported.
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Dover police stated that 15 minutes and 48 seconds after the initial call, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed that rescuers were en route to the vessel. Dover police received confirmation on Sept. 5 that the vessel and all individuals on board had been safely returned to the Port of Dover, England.
Dover police officials have nominated Atkinson, Logan, and two other communications officers on duty during the emergency for a Distinguished Unit Commendation.
By Randall Chase
