Editor,
Cable technicians are rarely considered every day heroes. But given that we come into your homes and are on the road all day, we can find ourselves cast in different roles when there is an emergency in the community. During a typical work shift in Visalia, a Comcast technician and member of my team, Zach Gatson, found himself in this role when he was en route to a service job. As he was driving, he noticed a woman on the ground in the distance and as he got closer, realized her and her young granddaughter were being attached by a pit bull. Zach jumped out of his van and ran towards the woman who was screaming for help to protect “her baby.”
Without hesitation, Zach intervened and scooped up the little girl, running back to put her in his work van out of harm’s way while the dog chased them down. Zach managed to calm the dog down and in the meantime, another Comcast maintenance technician who was working nearby, rushed over to assist and calm the grandmother, who had received serious wounds, while Zach dialed 911. Zach remained with the mother until the police and ambulance arraived on scene.
These days, it’s rare to find stories like Zach’s, of people willing to go above and beyond their job description and jump in to help a fellow community member during an average work day. It’s good to know we have these every day heroes right around the corner here in Visalia and I’m proud to have Zach as part of my team.
Gene Aldape
Comcast Employee, 27 years