Joshua Morris on why he spreads joy (and films it)
Joshua Morris, a Delaware State Police officer, makes it a point to spread love and goodwill even when he’s off duty.
The emergency caller was beside himself.
Her brother’s boat sank in the English Channel and they were trying to reach rescue workers in Dover, England. The sun had set nearly 45 minutes earlier, so it was getting increasingly dark on the water.
The caller wasn’t with their brother – they were more than a thousand miles away, in Albania. In a panic, they searched for “Dover Police Department” and clicked on the first website that came up.
It wasn’t the police in Dover, England, who answered the call. It was 911 operator MacKenzie Atkinson from Dover, Delaware.
Atkinson’s intervention and that of his colleague Connor Logan, who was also in Delaware on the 911 call, helped save the man’s life that day. Just 15 minutes after the emergency call, officers from the English Coast Guard made their way to the sinking boat.
The man and others on the boat were rescued and taken to Dover, England unharmed.
Due to the actions of Atkinson and Logan, along with their colleagues Patricia Mazzola and Briana Dozier, who continued to ensure that the citizens of Dover, Delaware, received uninterrupted service, the 911 Response Team was nominated for a departmental award.
“The Dover Police Department has extraordinary civilian employees who contribute to our public safety mission,” said Thomas Johnson, police chief of Dover, Delaware. “Our communications staff are great examples of this and never get enough recognition for being first responders.”
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How the rescue went
Atkinson knew that if she tried to transfer the caller to the appropriate emergency services, the call might be lost. The emergency services had precious time and she couldn’t afford to waste it.
While she remained on the line, Atkinson began gathering vital information. She had recently been certified by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch and had also learned in previous training what to do if a vessel was in distress at sea.
What are the boat’s latitude and longitude coordinates, she asked. What else should European first responders know?
While Atkinson continued her investigation, Logan began contacting international agencies.
First, he contacted the U.S. Coast Guard division that oversees the Delaware River and Bay Authority. Then he spoke with the U.S. Fifth District, the country’s Atlantic division, which oversees all U.S. Coast Guard operations east of the Rocky Mountains.
Logan then contacted the French Coast Guard, His Majesty’s Coastguard of England, the police in Dover, England, and the coordination centre of the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
All this was done within four minutes.
At 3:52pm Eastern Time (or 8:52pm in England), the UK Maritime and Coastguard Service confirmed they were on their way to the boat. Shortly afterwards, the man and everyone else on board were rescued.
Johnson praised the daily work of his officers, but particularly acknowledged the 911 operators, who are among his agency’s very first responders.
“Their ability to coordinate an international rescue effort while ensuring the safety of our local community is a testament to their exceptional skill and dedication,” Johnson said.
Have a story tip or idea? Send it to Isabel Hughes at [email protected]. For all the latest news, follow her on X at @izzihughes_
