Police dispatchers receive all sorts of calls and most often than not they are able to help the person on the other end of the line by sending help on their way in the form of police officers or medical personnel.
For Julius Hatley, a 95-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas, calling 911 was his only hope to get help. His air conditioner had broken down the night before and he was staying on his porch to keep himself cool. The temperature inside the house had reached almost 90 degrees at 8:30 in the morning, and counting on the sweltering heat from Texas, it was about to get much worse.
High temperatures, while very uncomfortable for the great majority of people, in healthy adults, the body can regulate the heat more efficiently. It’s a much different situation with the elderly, which have an increased risk of overheating due to underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to getting affected by extreme temperatures.
Police Officers William Margolis and his partner, Christopher Weir were sent to his house to check on him. ”This wasn’t a regular 911 call, it was what you’d label ‘low priority’ because we’re not AC techs,” Officer Margolis said to CBS News.
Upon arriving at the house, they found Mr. Hatley covered in sweat. Upon inspecting that both central air and window AC unit were broken, they promised the man they would find a solution.
Officer Margolis couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Hartley sitting in that heat and decided with Officer Weir to stop at a Home Depot to buy him a new AC unit. Upon arriving at the store, the officers asked employees to recommend a good air conditioning unit, while explaining Mr. Hartley’s situation.
Employees and managers were touched by the officers kind gesture and decided to donate 150 dollars out of their own money to help with the cause, said Officer Weir’s wife, Jennifer, on a Facebook post, ”That’s what being an officer is about.”
In an interview with CBS News, Jennifer Weir said that a company from Texas offered to replace Mr. Hartley’s central air system free of charge and they are working on replacing his windows and repainting his house, all for free.
Mr. Hartley is proof that one act of kindness done by total strangers will cause a ripple effect.
Please SHARE with your friends on Facebook.
