SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. - Officer Mark Haley spent the day of Sept. 29 unpacking after his move to South Pittsburg since being promoted to full-time status in August.
Just a few hours later, Haley saved a life while working the night shift for the town's police department.
At about 10:30 p.m., police were dispatched to the town's American Legion Hall concerning an unresponsive male.
Haley found Bobby Blaylock unconscious on the floor of the meeting hall.
Several people in attendance at the event held there that night had started CPR, but had gotten no positive results.
"Officer Haley made a quick assessment of the entire situation, recognizing the severity of the medical emergency, and the immediate actions and effective CPR resulted directly in the saving of a life," Mayor Virgil Holder said at the South Pittsburg City Commission's October meeting.
He said Haley's professionalism and compassion continued after the emergency by not only calming Blaylock, but by reassuring the family and friends there, too.
Holder said he started receiving calls at about 5 a.m. the next day bragging on Haley.
He acknowledged Haley at the board meeting with a "Life Saving Award" and the department's and city's appreciation.
"As a police officer, we have to do this a lot," Haley said. "It's scary. It makes you nervous, but you do what you get paid to do. That night God showed up. I was just an instrument of God, and everything worked out great."
A representative of the Blaylock family said doctors discovered Blaylock had a birth defect in his aortic valve, which contributed to the medical emergency.
"They [the family] want to thank you from the bottom of their hearts," she told Haley. "They would've never known about it if this hadn't happened."
The Blaylock family representative said Haley was "so calming" during and after the emergency, and that he stayed behind to console those at the event long after the ambulance had left.
"He loves South Pittsburg, and we love [him], too," she said.
One witness said it would've been helpful if an automated external defibrillator had been available to treat Blaylock.
City Administrator Gene Vess said since that night, he's been in the process of purchasing three AEDs that would be placed in city hall, the public library and the town's old National Guard Armory building.
Police Chief Wayne Jordan said would be looking into grant money to purchase more of the life-saving devices for the department's patrol cars and rescue personnel.
Those at the American Legion Hall event that night plan to make a donation soon to get the city another AED, as well.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.