PRESS RELEASE - E-911 Institute (#2 Kaela O'Neill / Nina Hawkins) Contacts: Kathy Newby, 651-7515, knewby@co.okaloosa.fl.us Dino Villani, EMS, 651-7150, dvillani@co.okaloosa.fl.us For Immediate Release Contact: Art Brodsky
March 7, 2007 301-908-7715
Aaron Holman
202-292-4603
E9-1-1 Institute Honors Kaela O'Neill for 9-1-1 Heroism
The E-911 Institute in Washington, D.C., has named Kaela Elizabeth O'Neill to receive one of its "Citizen In Action" awards. The Citizen in Action award honors someone who demonstrated exceptional bravery and heroism to save a life in a critical time using 9-1-1.
Kaela was six years old last May when she helped to save her mother's life. Her father had left for a four-month internship at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, while Kaela and her mother, Kirsten, stayed behind to clean up their house. Kristen, who was working to prepare the house for the move, has allergy-induced asthma. After finishing cleaning and painting their home, she had a severe asthma attack on the evening of May 8, 2006. Though frightened, Kaela calmly called 9-1-1 on a cell phone to seek assistance for her mother. Thanks to Kaela's quick thinking, the reassurance of 9-1-1 operator Nina Hawkins (then Nina Langlotz), and the rapid response from the local EMT and police departments, the needed help came quickly.
Gregory L. Rohde, executive director of the Institute, said: "It is encouraging to see youngsters like Kaela respond in such a mature manner to an emergency. That Kaela was only six years old at the time of the emergency is remarkable."
The award will be presented at a March 13 ceremony in Washington, D.C.
About the E911 Institute. The E9-1-1 Institute (www.e911institute.org) is a not-for-profit organization which provides administrative and policy support to the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus. The purpose of the E9-1-1 Institute is to promote pubic education and awareness of E9-1-1 and emergency communications issues and serve the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus as a clearinghouse of information on E9-1-1 and emergency communications issues. Gregory L. Rohde, former Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, serves as the E9-1-1 Institute's Executive Director.
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