Posted on 12/16/2005 8:11:48 PM PST by SmithL
A veteran medical services dispatcher at Knox County’s E-911 Center has been credited with saving the lives of two children caught in a burning house.
"He calmed them down and told them both to lie down on the floor and that probably saved their lives," said Charlie Barker, spokesman for the Knoxville Fire Department.
The emergency medical services dispatcher, Michael Mays, has been with E-911 for nine years.
"At first, you could tell she was panicking and I couldn’t understand her," Mays said. "She was excited and choking and couldn’t breathe."
Knoxville firefighters located the 15-year-old girl and her 5-year-old cousin within minutes of the 12:20 p.m. call for help. Firefighters carried the children to safety from the 3827 Selma Ave. residence.
Barker said the girl was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she was treated for smoke inhalation. She was expected to be released Friday, Barker said.
The boy, also suffering smoke inhalation, was transported by ambulance to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, where he was expected to stay the night, Barker said.
The children were alone in the house. Their names were not available tonight.
The fire erupted when the girl was cooking French fries and the grease got too hot. Flames burst from the grease and somehow prevented the kids from reaching the front door, Barker said.
Fire damage was restricted to the kitchen, where the flames were quickly extinguished by firefighters. Black smoke, however, had filled the house.
"The house has to fill up with smoke before it gets to the floor," Barker said. "That’s why we tell people to get low and go."
I have two questions about this. 1) After watching the video of the house on the news, I have to wonder why a fifteen-year-old couldn't have simply walked out the front door to evade a fire in the kitchen, I assume the door wasn't padlocked from the outside; and 2) why were neither of the kids in school that day???
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