7-year-old praised for calling 999 after his mum collapses
Ronnie called emergency services with his mum unconscious and his two younger sisters in the house
A seven-year-old from Tilbury has been praised by Police for his maturity, after dialling 999 as his mum lay unconscious.
Youngster Ronnie-Lee Gray jumped to the rescue within moments of his mum's collapse, phoning Emergency Services.
Thanks to Ronnie’s calm responses, and the professionalism of call handler Ruth Potts, Police were able to ensure the ambulance service were quickly on the scene.
Ronnie’s mum, Becky, had been recovering at home following surgery just days earlier, and said she was suffering from low blood pressure. She said:
“It’s happened before, and he phoned for help then.
“He’s known how to help for quite a while, as I’ve had this problem for some time, particularly when I was pregnant, so we’ve even given him his own phone.
“I had previously suffered with my blood pressure and sometimes passing out.”
Becky was taken on to hospital for further checks, where staff were full of praise for Ronnie’s actions. She said:
“Even when I was in hospital at A&E, I had all the doctors coming up to me telling me ‘your son is a very clever boy’.
“I’m so proud of him.”
The recognition for Ronnie continued as he was given a 'special thank you' . The Force Control Room organised a visit for the youngster at his local police station.
He met officers and even got the chance to look at the team’s quad bikes.
Becky added:
“I am extremely proud of my son, and I’m very pleased he’s getting this recognition for what he did.
“There’s not a lot of people of that age who would know to do that and to act in the way he did.
“For him to be able to ring up 999 and give his full details and stay calm, it’s amazing.
“Although it turned out to thankfully not be so serious, it was his first instinct to call for help when he saw his mum fall to the floor.”
Thurrock Engagement Sergeant, Amelia Moore, added:
“Ronnie showed maturity far beyond his years in helping his mum that day and clearly avoided a potentially worse outcome.
“It’s only right we thank him in some small way by letting him come and meet his local policing team.
“We were delighted to host Ronnie, he was a real pleasure and a credit to his family.”
Adam Taylor, Force Control Room supervisor, said:
“Praise must also go to call handler Ruth Potts, whose manner and professionalism with Ronnie ensured we had help in place for his mum as quickly as possible.
“Ruth is an outstanding call taker and a credit to the FCR.
“This call illustrates the variety of incidents we at the Essex Police control room deal with on a day-to-day basis, facing huge demand and persevering with care and patience.
“We deal with a range of complex and challenging situations.
“Although this ended up being a medical emergency and something for the ambulance service to deal with, the professionalism of our call handler ensured we could facilitate a quick response from our colleagues.