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New Jersey’s Kids Know how to Make the
Right Call.
 The
New Jersey Chapter of NENA was honored to host this year’s New Jersey 9-1-1 hero
award ceremony during their annual spring conference. Each year, the State of
New Jersey’s Office of Emergency Telecommunications Services recognizes 9-1-1
heroes in several categories including Youth Hero, Adult Hero, Telecommunicator
Hero, and Special Recognition for contributions to 9-1-1. This year there were
recipients of the Youth Hero and Telecommunicator Hero Awards.
There were six young ladies who received Youth Hero Awards, recognizing their
quick thinking and appropriate action by calling 9-1-1 during an emergency. The
first awards went to four sisters in one family. The sisters, ranging in age
from 13 to 5 are Danielle, Alex, Ashley, and Christina Lowe. Their mother
suffered a seizure while in the family pool. The girls were unable to get her
out of the pool, so while Alex went inside to call 9-1-1, Danielle stayed with
their mom to keep her head above water. As the oldest she also kept her younger
sisters calm and directed one of them to wait in front of the house for the
emergency responders. The kind of teamwork exhibited by this group is to be
applauded. Teamwork was also exhibited by the Burlington County 9-1-1
telecommunicators who coordinated the response to this event, Bonnie Taylor and
Anthony Endris were presented with Telecommunicator Hero Awards. Each of the
young heroes was also awarded an “I made the right call” medal from the Chapter.
DaVonne Alexander is only seven years old and in the first grade but she knew
exactly what to do when her grandmother, Susan Fleming, experienced an extreme
hypoglycemic event. DaVonne dialed 9-1-1 and advised the telecommunicator that
her grandmother is diabetic and that she was not responsive. She remained calm
and provided all the information needed for an appropriate response. She was
nominated for the award by one of the EMT’s who responded. The EMT, Jen Oswald,
stated in her nomination that DaVonne’s description of the situation and prompt
action led to a quick response by emergency personnel and prompt appropriate
care to the patient.
The final Youth Hero Award went to 13 year old Lyndsey Jelinek. Lyndsey’s mom,
Laurie, suffered a seizure and fell, causing a head wound and knocking her
unconscious. To complicate matters, Lyndsey had to try to keep her 2 year old
nephew calm while providing information and following the telecommunicator’s
instructions. When the contents of her mother’s mouth caused her to stop
breathing Lydsey cleared her airway and when her mother started to regain
consciousness and tried to get up, Lyndsey kept her down to avoid any further
injury. The telecommunicators who handled this event were recognized for their
skillful and professional handling of this call. Margret Mulvihill and Kathleen
Rotante of the Old Bridge Police Department were presented with Telecommunicator
Hero Awards.
Although the girls had to miss school for a day, the event proved very
educational for
them. They toured the exhibit hall, visiting each of the booths and learning
about the technology involved with 9-1-1. They were congratulated by the
exhibiters and presented with many take home items ranging from pens and pads of
paper to hats and flashlights. Additionally, during the luncheon following the
presentations, L. Robert Kimball had a drawing for a bicycle and helmet. It
turned out that Lyndsey Jelenik isn’t just quick thinking in an emergency, she
is also lucky, she won the bike and took it for a victory lap around the room.
Each year New Jersey’s PSAPs handle over eight million calls. These are just
three examples of the many lives saved though the quick actions by those who
make the call to 9-1-1 and the skill and professionalism of those who answer the
calls and coordinate the emergency responses.
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