Orkin Technician Comes to Aid of Distressed Customer

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Sometimes you just have to trust your gut when you think something is not right. That’s what Ira Clark, a technician from Orkin’s Chattanooga, Tenn., branch did recently on what he thought would be a routine customer visit.   

As he always does, Clark called Nancy Johnson, a long-time Orkin customer, to confirm her appointment before he went to her home; however, when he arrived, she didn’t answer when he knocked on the door. Right away, His gut told him something wasn’t quite right. 

“Her car was there, so I thought she hadn’t heard me knock. I went ahead and performed her outside service, but I kept thinking how weird it was that she didn’t answer. Mrs. Johnson seemed like the type who would let me know if she wasn’t going to be home,” said Clark. 

He went ahead and performed the outside service, and he knocked on her door again when he finished. There was still no answer, so he went to knock on her back door, where she is sometimes working. She still did not come to the door. 

“Ordinarily, I’d leave a ticket and call the customer to let them know I had visited, but I still felt like something just wasn’t right. I decided to call the police department to see if they could come for a wellness visit to check on her, just in case,” said Clark.

After making a couple more service visits, Ira drove back by Johnson’s home on the way to his next customer. He saw police cars, and of course he stopped to check-in. Johnson had fallen several hours before, and she was being cared for by the officers, one of whom was fortunately a paramedic. 

“It was just so wonderful that he thought to call the police over here; just so wonderful,” said Mrs. Johnson, who has been a loyal Orkin customer since 1956. “I’m just so, so grateful that he called. He’s certainly been great and nice.”

Johnson is doing physical therapy to help regain strength and is on the road to recovery. 

(Pictured: Orkin customer Nancy Johnson and Orkin technician Ira Clark.)