Young 911 hero commended

Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Making an emergency phone call to 911 is one of the most stressful calls a child may ever make. Kameron McLean, an 11-year-old student of George Hicks School, experienced this first hand when he called 911 in aid of his brother.

Minister of Planning, Communications, District Administration and Information Technology, the Hon. Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and Manager of 911 Emergency Communications, Juliette Gooding recently presented Kameron with the 911 Hero certificate and medal for his outstanding phone call.

Earlier this year, Kameron’s 15-month-old baby brother required an ambulance. While the family’s helper comforted the baby, Kameron spoke to 911 and competently answered all questions posed by the unit’s telecommunicator. Kameron impressed the staff by clearly giving his home address and accurately describing his brother’s condition and assisted with passing on clear information.

Even though Kameron was distressed by the incident, he remained focused, spoke clearly and followed all instructions.

Every year 911 receives a large number of nuisance calls from children which distract telecommunicators.

The 911 Hero Award was created to acknowledge children 14 years of age and younger who call or use the 911 system appropriately.

“Kameron is the fourth recipient of the award and was recognised for his ability to give his street address, explain the emergency, follow instructions and assist the 911 telecommunicator throughout the emergency,” explains Ms. Gooding.

During the year 911 representatives visit local schools to educate children on the proper use of 911 and the importance of calling the service in the case of an emergency.

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