California: Four-year-old Boy Calm In A Crises
Tracy Manzer, Press – Telegram (Long Beach, Calif.)
LONG BEACH — A 4-year-old Long Beach boy demonstrated true bravery and resourcefulness when he came to the aid of his mother after she suffered a severe seizure, firefighters said Friday.
Ian Baldwin’s parents, Mike and Misti, repeatedly instructed their son what to do if his mom, who has epilepsy, suffered a seizure.
That practice paid off last week when Misti lost consciousness, and Ian dutifully called his dad and gave him all the details on her condition, which Mike relayed to a 9-1-1 operator.
Ian knows that if mom has a small seizure, he doesn’t have to call Dad. But if she blacks out, he knows to use his mom’s cellphone to call dad, explained Mike, who works as a software engineer in Los Angeles.
“When we practice, I’ll say, ‘OK, Mommy’s having a seizure,’ and then I go in the bedroom and hide and he calls me on the cellphone,” Mike said. “He’ll call me and laugh and get a piece of candy. It wasn’t until last week that it was a real emergency.”
When Ian called his dad on Aug. 28, he calmly said that his mom had a seizure but she was still breathing. After learning how severe the seizure was, Mike called 9-1-1 and paramedics from Long Beach Fire Station 18 were dispatched to family’s East Long Beach home.
Ian let the firefighters inside the locked front door. LBFD Paramedic Chong Kim and his partner found Misti face down on the floor, but she was still breathing and she came to fairly quickly, Chong said.
“He wasn’t scared or anything, he answered all our questions,” Kim said, adding that Ian helped the firefighters find his mom’s purse and rode with her in the ambulance to hospital.
“We got his firefighter boots on and he was ready to go,” said Fire Capt. Larry Coots.
Ian did such a great job the Fire Department treated him to a visit at a local fire station where he and his parents met some of the crew who handled Misti’s call and Ian scored a ride in a firetruck.
“I’m just so proud,” said Misti, a trained geologist who can no longer work or drive due to her condition.
Ian’s ability to stay calm and do as he was instructed despite his young age and shy nature shows the benefits of family planning for emergencies, said Long Beach Fire Department Spokesman Will Nash.
The Long Beach Fire Department encourages families to keep stocked emergency kits in the event of serious disasters and to plan and practice evacuation routes from home, school and work in the event of a fire other disaster.
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