PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County was the scene of an emotional reunion when a Largo man met the first responders who saved his life when his kayak overturned.
"I'm Mackenzie," dispatcher Mackenzie Espinoza said.
"Hi, Mackenzie," Michael Bochniarz answered before giving the dispatcher a big embrace.
Last month, 65-year-old Bochniarz was fishing about a half mile off the Indian Rocks Beach coast in the Gulf of Mexico when the weather conditions became rough.
His kayak capsized, dumping him into turbulent 56-degree waters.
Unable to dial 911, he asked his phone's voice recognition to call for help.
For several minutes, dispatcher Mackenzie Espinoza kept Bochniarz from panicking as her supervisor sent the coordinates of his location into RapidSOS, a new tool that can cut down on the precious time needed to find people calling from their cell phones.
The 911 call reveals the bond that developed between the two.
"I'm scared," Bochniarz told Espinoza.
"I know you're scared," she answered, "but I'm going to stay on the phone with you the entire time. I won't hang up, OK?"
Within 23 minutes of the call, a rescue boat from Pinellas Suncoast Fire Rescue found Bochniarz and brought him to safety.
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