Customer Reviews

It's Time to Call 911: What to Do in an Emergency

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Going by the book: 4-year-old calls 911, stays calm after mother falls ill
By Amanda Bohman
Staff Writer
Published April 29, 2007


Deidre Savarino was wandering the toy aisle, as grandmothers do, at a St. Louis store when she came across a book with a bright red cover and a telephone dial pad.

"It's Time to Call 911: What to do in an Emergency" seemed like the perfect read for Savarino's grandson, Tony, an inquisitive 3-year-old whose mother suffers from asthma. Savarino bought the book and mailed it to her grandson, who is now 4 and lives in North Pole.

The book turned out to be an auspicious buy because Tony knew just how to react when his mother collapsed on the living room floor April 10 and blacked out from what she later learned was a gall bladder attack.

"I didn't even know there was a book like that out there," Savarino said. "It was an impulse buy."

(Listen to 4-year-old Tony's call to 911)

The interactive book rewards its reader with a blast of emergency sirens and a cheery "good job" when 911 is punched into the key pad. It quickly became one of Tony's favorites, said his mother, Courtenay Sharpe.

"You know kids," Courtenay said, "once they latch onto a book, they want the same story read to them over and over again. After awhile, he pretty much knew the book by heart."

The day of Tony's 911 call was like any other day in the Sharpe household, which is located off Badger Road.

Courtenay busied herself scrubbing the bathroom, dusting the living room and looking after her son. Her husband, Tech. Sgt. Robert "Nick" Sharpe, went to his job at Eielson Air Force Base.

But one thing was different. Courtenay's stomach ache, which she had initially chalked up to a bad meal, steadily grew worse, so much so that Courtenay often had to lie down to compose herself. She considered calling her husband at work and asking him to come home and take her to see a doctor, but she decided to tough it out.

By 5:30 p.m., the pain was unbearable. Courtenay was on her way from the couch to the bathroom when she collapsed, she said.

Courtenay remembers that Tony, who is a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine train, was playing nearby with his train set. The next thing she remembers is a man in a uniform standing over her.

While Courtenay lay on the floor in agony and barely conscious, her son called 911, drawing help from the North Star Volunteer Fire Department.

According to firefighter Dan Shaughnessy and a recording of the 911 call, Tony told a dispatcher: "Mommy is sick. Mommy needs an ambulance. Mommy fell over. She is sleeping. "

Tony confirmed that his mother was breathing.

"Can you call the ambulance?" he asked the dispatcher. "When Daddy gets here, Daddy will see if there's something wrong with mommy," he added.

The 4-year-old described the family's apartment building as white with a blue roof.

Shaughnessy was off-duty and on his way to the bank when the call came in. When he heard the dispatcher say that the 911 caller was a 4-year-old, Shaughnessy abandoned his errand to respond to the call.

"That's a high-priority call for us," he said. "A child at home alone with an unconscious parent."

Courtenay was conscious but barely able to speak when Shaughnessy came in the door.

After the ambulance crew arrived, Shaughnessy took Tony outside to show him the fire department's equipment while paramedics helped his mother.

"He was actually totally calm," Shaughnessy said. "He continued to tell me how important 911 was, and I agreed with him. When they loaded his mom in the back of the ambulance, Tony got to ride up front in the ambulance to the hospital."

Tony said he liked riding in the ambulance.

"The ambulance has lights that go around and around," Tony said.

The fire department was so impressed by Tony's knowledge of 911 that they plan to honor him May 15 with a T-shirt, a plaque and a ride on a fire engine.

"As firefighters, we like to teach kids how to do the right thing. When they actually do the right thing, it gives us a lot of satisfaction," Shaughnessy said.

While remarkable to the firefighters, Nick Sharpe wasn't surprised by his son's quick thinking. He had talked to the boy about 911 before, he said.

"It was something he could handle," Nick said. "I think most 4-year-olds probably could do it."

The Sharpes rewarded their son with a much-wanted puppy, Bear, an 8-month-old golden retriever and Labrador mix, which they adopted from an animal shelter.

As for the book, it remains one of Tony's favorites.

"I totally recommend it," Courtenay said.

I think this is a fanastic book! This board book has a telephone keypad to help your child practice how to dial 911 and what to do. If the number dialed is done so inccorrectly it gives you a sound to let you know you dialed it wrong, but when dialed correctly you hear a man's voice say " 911, then a bell, then the sound of a firetruck and then the man again saying good job. This book walks your child through each step making sure the child knows to say their name and home address.

It's done in a simple manner that just gets the point across that if something bad happens and you need help it's called an Emergency, do you know what to do" It goes through each step... 1st try and find and adult, if no one is around find the nearest phone and dial 911. A nice person will answer and will tell you what to do. Then the book gives several situations like a fire, if someone is hurt and even if someone has a gun. The last page says remember 911 isn't for fun! Only call it for an emergency. This is one those books that your glad your child has, but hopes they never have to use this knowledge.

This book teaches how to use 9-1-1. Also to know their name and address and phone numbers. If it is dialed right, the kids hear a siren and good job. If it is not, they hear a distinct sound. It also lets kids practice dialing 9-1-1 over and over. Further it teaches when to call for an emergency and when not to call.

I purchased this book to start to teach my 3 year old about calling 9-1-1. The phone actually works. When you dial 911 correctly, it sounds the alarm and says good job. If you dial incorrectly, it makes a beeping noise. The book does not detail the emergencies, but teaches the basics of giving your name and some circumstances of why you may have to call 911. My daughter likes playing with the phone and practicing dialing 911. Hopefully, she will never have to use it but it is good to be prepared.

I got this book for my 3 yr old and already she knows to dial 911 to makes the sounds. She doesn't know the concept of why she is dialing it just yet.
If you press 911 correctly, the books makes siren sounds and says good job. However, if you press any other numbers it does not make the siren sounds so it really encourages you to press the right numbers.

Obviously a great lifesaver. It is written with easy to understand examples for children. The only suggestion I would have is for parents to remember to teach the children to PUSH the "on" button like on many cordless phones today. When they pick up the phone to dial 911 usuallly there is no dial tone immediately.

This book seemed to be well-written and a good presentation for my twin 5 year olds. However, shortly after reading this book, one of my children in conjunction with another child actually called 911 unbeknownst to us until the police officer showed up at the door. Thankfully he was quite understanding, but I'm still not sure if this book covered the importance of only calling 911 when necessary. I would definitely recommend it, but might want to have an additional discussion with your child after reading the book that calling 911 is serious and not something fun to do!

My kids love this book. Hopefully, now my oldest understands what to do in an emergency.

Love this book. Both my kids, 3 & 5 love it. Very easy to understand and interactive. Kids are able to practice dialing 911 on the keypad and when they get it right, the siren will sound. Gives them clear instructions on what to do in a few different emergency situations, ie: fire, someone fell down, someone has a gun, older person can't wake up. Definitely recommend it.

Good book. My child likes to press the buttons and learned how to dial 911 quickly. The only problem is that this book is not adapted for cell phones......