CORPUS CHRISTI — Five-year-old Aiden Martinez squirmed in front of a crowd and craned his neck to spot familiar faces. He’s shy, his mom said, but on Thursday he was recognized for bravery when he communicated with a 9-1-1 operator to rescue his mom.

Corpus Christi police honored Aiden at the department as a”9-1-1 Hero” for his swift action when his mom, Jennifer Martinez, recently had a seizure that caused her to lose consciousness.

Jennifer experienced her first seizure when she was three months pregnant with Aiden’s 2-year-old sister Dakota Martinez. That prompted Jennifer to teach Aiden how and when to dial 9-1-1. Now he teaches Dakota.

“He says, ‘Look sister we do this’ and ‘Pay attention sister,'” Jennifer said.

His preparation paid off when he resumed a 9-1-1 call and was impressively calm and alert, said Stephanie Lewis, the 9-1-1 operator who received the call.

Jennifer called 9-1-1, gasping and barely speaking, said Lewis said. Then there was silence.

Lewis said she hollered into the phone and Aiden picked up his mom’s cellphone. He answered all of Lewis’ questions and she told him, “You’re doing awesome.”

“‘Mom, I’m awesome. Oh, she’s still asleep,”’ Lewis said she heard Aiden say.

Aiden is the police department’s second “9-1-1 Hero,” serving as an example of why children should learn how to operate 9-1-1, Senior Officer Kirk Stowers said.

Police and 9-1-1 operators visit area schools and talk to kids about how and when to call 9-1-1 and what happens when you call. Ronnie Sepulveda, Metrocom 9-1-1 manager for Nueces County, said it’s especially important to teach children to provide location information because operators can’t pinpoint exact locations when a call comes from a cellphone.

Kathy Wiggins, Metrocom 9-1-1 program manager, noted within one week, Aiden called 9-1-1 twice and both times Lewis answered the phone.