BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — A special Hernando County phone line providing support to senior citizens who live alone or are struggling with their health may have just saved a man's life.
Once a day after registering with the sheriff's office's Care Line program, seniors check in at a designated time and verify with a clerk that they're doing OK.
“That’s what the program is all about — trying to provide intervention before something tragic happens,” said sheriff's office spokesperson Denise Moloney, who adds there are about 95 people who call every day.
On Friday, an elderly man who lives alone missed his designated call time. The clerk tried to contact him and didn’t have any luck. The clerk then followed additional protocols to make sure the man was safe but still wasn’t able to get in contact with anyone.
Deputy Bob Cloversettle was then sent over to the man’s home in Ridge Manor to check on him and make sure he was alright. When Cloversettle showed up, he says he immediately noticed smoke coming from inside the home.
The elderly man inside yelled to Cloversettle for help. The man was sitting on the floor and had fallen out of his wheelchair.
“Right next to him there were boxes that were literally on fire and smoking and he was very much in a bad situation,” Cloversettle said.
Cloversettle was able to pull the man near the front door as smoke continued to spread throughout the home.
“It became very difficult to breathe within a matter of seconds,” he explained.
Another deputy quickly arrived and helped Cloversettle get the man back in his wheelchair and to a safe location outside. Fire crews and EMS officials then arrived on the scene.
“I didn’t just show up out of nowhere I was dispatched there because of the program that was set up many years ago,” Cloversettle said.
The Care Line program is free to join. You can register for the program online or call 352-797-3690.