FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sergeant Charles J. Warner
Public Information Officer
615.550.6821
cwarner@franklintn.gov

Franklin, TN – A six-year-old boy named Van couldn’t have made his family prouder yesterday morning; a Franklin 911 operator called him a little hero. At 5:56 am Wednesday morning, a 911 call came into the City’s Emergency Communications Center located in the new Franklin Police Headquarters on Columbia Avenue. Emergency Telecommunicator Mary Casteel knew this call was different from many others she would take that day. “You never know what’s going to be on the other end of that phone when it rings. I knew, right away, that this call was the real deal, and that someone needed our help.”

Early yesterday morning, Van’s grandmother was experiencing a very unexpected, incapacitating medical emergency. Recognizing that something was wrong when she was unable to get out of bed, Van picked up the phone and called 911. His grandmother was rushed to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she is now listed in stable condition.

Franklin Police Officer Patrick Tippit, one of the first emergency responders on the scene said Van’s actions were impressive, and that it was very apparent he had been taught when and how to call 911. “It’s never too early to teach your kids how and when to call for help. You never know when they might be in trouble themselves, or able to help a parent, or in this case grandparent, when they need emergency assistance, but can’t make the call themselves.”

Today’s phones are more complex than in days past when you could simply pick up a handset and immediately hear a dial tone. Parents should carefully explain to their children the need to push the “talk” button on their cordless phones, or the “send” button on their cell phones when making that call, a call that could make all the difference for them, or someone they love, in an emergency.

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