A 10-year-old boy is getting a lot of attention for keeping his composure despite a scary situation earlier this summer.
Jaime Torres called 911 on July 5 when his parents found his younger sister, Maria, unconscious.
Because his mother and father speak limited English, Torres translated everything the dispatcher told him into Spanish so that they could give his sister the care she needed.
"Lay the patient flat on her back with nothing underneath her," the dispatcher said in the 911 call. "Place one hand on her forehead, the other behind her neck. Gently tilt her head back, and every time she takes a breath, I need you to say the word breath starting now."
Torres is then heard during the 911 call relaying those instructions to his parents in Spanish.
Before the ambulance arrived, Torres' three-year-old became responsive again. EMSA officials said the young boy helped save his sister's life by keeping composed and quickly translating information for his family.
"To have a young child be able to translate in real time when his sister's not breathing, that's incredible," said Adam Paluka, the community relations manager for EMSA.
Paramedics from EMSA gave Torres a medal Wednesday, naming him an 'everyday hero.' Tulsa city councilors and Mayor Dewey Bartlett also signed proclamations recognizing Torres for what he did.
Torres received all these honors during a meeting of the Greater Tulsa Hispanic Affairs Commission at city hall.
"When she's a little bit older and understands what her older brother did," Mayor Bartlett said, "those two will be bonded for a long time."
City leaders said Torres should think about becoming a 911 dispatcher when he grows up, but the shy 10 year old said right now he's only concerned about his family.
