The City recognized ten young Calgarians at the 9-1-1 Heroes Awards Ceremony this past week. The awards honour young Calgarians who demonstrated incredible bravery and quick thinking during an emergency.
Each young hero was nominated by the Calgary 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Officer (ECO) who answered their call.
“We are thrilled to celebrate these young heroes for their remarkable courage and calm, quick thinking to help bring vital emergency services to someone in need,” said Glenda Sahlen, Deputy Chief of Operations with Calgary 9-1-1. “These outstanding individuals remind us that heroes come in all ages, and that knowing how and when to call 9-1-1 is a skill that can help save lives.”
The awards were presented by the nominating 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Officer, alongside 9-1-1 Deputy Chief Glenda Sahlen, Deputy Chief Pete Steenaerts with the Calgary Fire Department, and Deputy Chief Chad Tawfik with the Calgary Police Service.
Calgary 9-1-1 serves as the critical link between Calgarians and the emergency services they need. Before police officers, firefighters, or paramedics arrive, it’s the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Officer who is there, helping to gather critical information, reassure the caller, provide life-saving instructions, and ensure the appropriate emergency crews are dispatched to the scene.
Each year, Calgary 9-1-1 answers more than one million calls making it one of the largest Public Safety Answering Points in Canada.
BACKGROUNDER: Award Recipients
Award recipients are nominated by the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Officer who answered their call. Below are our heroes’ stories:
Abem Woldu (11 Years Old). Emergency Communications Officer: Lauren
One morning, 11-year-old Abem woke up and noticed a gas smell in her home. Abem quickly jumped into action and alerted her family to the smell and called
9-1-1.
Abem remained calm and made sure the Calgary 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Officer had their address, described where the odor was coming from, helped translate information for her mom, and safely evacuated her family outside to wait for the firefighters to arrive.
Abem’s calm manner and ability to provide 9-1-1 with important information ensured a quick response from fire fighters and helped keep her family safe.
Joelle Calvello-Mendoza (12 Years Old). Emergency Communications Officer: Gabriella
12-year-old Joelle called 9-1-1 when an unknown person in distress appeared in the family’s backyard looking for help. While Joelle’s dad went outside to assist the person, Joelle remained in the house and provided the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Officer with valuable information that was relayed to the police officer who arrived on scene to assist the person.
Joelle kept 9-1-1 updated on what was happening outside and ensured everyone remained safe. Because of Joelle’s actions, the person in distress received help very quickly.
Mauricio Olivares (14 Years Old). Emergency Communications Officer: Lauren; Calgary Fire Captain: Dave
While Mauricio was outside playing with his siblings, he thought he could smell smoke. He quickly located the source of the smoke coming from a small grass fire that was spreading quickly directly against the side of the Glenmore Inn. Mauricio immediately called 9-1-1 and provided the Emergency Communications Officer with the location and a description of what was happening. Mauricio waited on the scene at a safe distance to ensure firefighters were able to locate the fire.
Thanks to Mauricio’s bravery and ability to quickly recognize the severity of the situation, the fire was contained before it could cause potentially catastrophic damage to the hotel and a nearby ENMAX transformer box.
Nabiha Azami (15 Years Old). Emergency Communications Officer: Jenny
While Nabiha was on her way to school, she witnessed a vehicle hit a child. Nabiha immediately recognized the severity of the situation and called 9-1-1 while her dad went to care for the child. Nabiha ensured bystanders stayed out of traffic and asked the vehicles on scene to turn on their hazard lights. She also translated patient care instructions to her dad and others tending to the child, and provided the Emergency Communications Officer with detailed information to ensure emergency services were dispatched to the scene as quickly as possible.
Nabiha’s actions kept everyone on scene safe, and helped ensure first responders could quickly reach the child and provide them with the care they needed.
Qai Alrefaai (13 Years Old). Emergency Communications Officer: Dawna
On a cold day last December, Qai was at home with his family when he noticed a gas odor coming from the water heater in their basement. Qai called 9-1-1 and explained that the water heater wasn’t working properly the day before and now they can smell gas. Qai was able to answer the Emergency Communications Officer’s questions, translate information for his parents, and ensure everyone waited outside to stay safe until firefighters arrived.
Once on scene, Calgary firefighters detected low levels of carbon monoxide in the home. They shut off the gas and asked ATCO to assist with fixing the water heater.
Qai’s calm demeanor and ability to provide 9-1-1 with valuable information helped keep his family safe in a potentially dangerous situation.
Shae Craig (12 Years Old), Cassidy VanDerMeulen (12 Years Old), Bella Bealing (13 Years Old) – Emergency Communications Officer: Krista
Shae, Cassidy and Bella were outside during their school’s lunch break when they witnessed a vehicle collision in front of their school. The three friends quickly realized that police, fire and an ambulance were required and jumped into action by calling 9-1-1. These young heroes provided the Emergency Communications Officer with valuable information, including the location of the incident, the cause of the collision, vehicle descriptions, and the fact that someone was injured.
Thanks to their quick actions, police, fire, and EMS arrived on the scene within minutes.
Yaseen Farag (10 Years Old). Emergency Communications Officer: Michelle
Yaseen was outside playing when he came across a 3-year-old on a bicycle who was alone and lost. The child was crying and didn’t know where his home was. Yaseen called 9-1-1 and provided a detailed description of the child, including that he was wearing a police officer costume and a spiderman hoodie. Yaseen kept the child calm and safe. An adult bystander stopped to help, and Yaseen kept control of the scene and let the adult bystander know that he called 9-1-1 and that police were on their way. He relayed important information to the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Officer which ensured Calgary Police were able to respond very quickly and reunite the child with his family.
The maturity exhibited by Yaseen and ability to keep the child safe and calm was absolutely remarkable.
Zayan Hilal (10 Years Old). Emergency Communications Officer: Terri
While out for a drive with his dad, Zayan saw a fire on a balcony of a large apartment complex. Zayan promptly called 9-1-1 and provided the Emergency Communications Officer with the building’s address and explained what was happening. This information helped firefighters know exactly where to go, prevented the fire from spreading to the rest of the building, and ensured no one was hurt.
Thanks to Zayan’s quick actions, the fire was quickly extinguished, and the residents of the apartment complex still have a home.
