Eight year old Ashley Kirk is honored by Chester County and Treydriffrin emergency officials for her 911 call in January that may have saved her mother’s life. The Valley Forge Elementary School student was able to provide key information to dispatchers and first responders when her mother developed breathing problems.
TREDYRIFFIN — On Jan. 25, eight year old Ashley Kirk called 9-1-1 to get help for her mother who was having respiratory problems. Ashley was all alone with her mom and her little brother and told the dispatcher her mom was, “feeling like she was going to pass out.”
Ashley’s call to 9-1-1 was answered by Steve Bacharach, Chester County Department of Emergency Services Telecommunicator. Bacharach kept Ashley on the phone while he entered her information and police and EMS units were dispatched. Using a cell phone, Ashley was ready to answer questions about her location, and when asked by Bacharach, unlocked the front door for the emergency responders. Since she was calling from a cell phone, her exact location was not provided to the 9-1-1 center. By knowing vital information, like her mom’s personal information and home address, help was able to be sent quickly to her mom.
When using a wireless device to call 9-1-1, telecommunicators rely on the caller to know their location. Many callers do not realize that the only way emergency services providers can find them was if they provide their location during the call. Since Ashley used a cell phone and knew her address, this helped Bacharach send help faster.
Last week, Ashley was presented with a citation from the Chester County Board of Commissioners and honored during a brief school assembly at Valley Forge Elementary School. Her mother, grandparents, classmates, Berwyn Fire Department and R Township Police Department were all in attendance.
