911 Dispatcher Sends Mom to Rescue Stranded Kayaker in Columbia River
A 911 dispatcher has sent her own mom to rescue a stranded individual in Washington state on Sunday afternoon rather than an official rescue team, according to reports.
The dispatcher called her own mom, knowing that she was in the nearby area and that she could kayak to a stranded boater in the Columbia River faster than requesting an official sheriff's police patrol boat to be dispatched to the area.
Wahkiakum County dispatcher Raedyn Grasseth received a call explaining that a 45 year old kayaker was hanging on for life by clinging onto a log piling on Sunday afternoon when her kayak sank near a jetty.
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The woman was said to have been kayaking with a companion when their boat sank, according to a report in the Daily News.
Grasseth has told the Daily News: "Jetties are very dangerous. The currents around them are horrible. It sounds like her kayak just got sucked toward the jetty and went down."
As the stranded woman clung onto a log piling for dear life, her companion managed to get to safety and ran to call for help.
The dispatcher explained that the stranded woman "hung onto the jetty until she could climb up and get on to as much of the log piling as she could and waited."
Grasseth did do things officially by notifying the sheriff's office first, but then realized that her own mom, Cindy Faubion, and her family lived nearby where the incident had taken place, and that they could potentially get to the woman a lot faster.
"I knew they could be there within five to 10 minutes," Grasseth said.
He mom, an experienced kayaker, and other family members quickly sprung into action, and paddled to the woman's rescue.
