Shepparton youngster Seth Arthur has been praised by paramedics for his quick actions in calling 000 after his mum received a head injury after a fall at home earlier this month.
The then eight-year-old kept calm and called 000 after his mum Amanda Arthur fell at home and started bleeding from her head on January 4.
Last week, the two Ambulance Victoria paramedics who were called that night visited the now nine-year-old’s home to make him a special presentation.
Paramedics Nathan Looby and Karl Tampi presented Seth with a certificate, a blow-up ambulance, teddy bear and some other goodies to praise him for his actions that night.
Ms Arthur has multiple sclerosis and with only Seth living with her she knew the importance of her son knowing what to do if she ever needed help.
She taught Seth how to call 000 a few years ago and was pleased to see he knew what to do when she fell.
“I have MS. I’ve got a weak hip, knee and ankle because I have lesions on the brain and spine,” Ms Arthur said.
“I was worried about falling.
“I told him if I was to fall he was to ring 000.”
That night early in January Seth was already in bed when Ms Arthur fell.
He came out of his room to find his mother on the floor and needing help.
“She was laying on the floor with blood coming out of her eyebrow,” Seth said.
“I got Mum’s phone out of her room and I called 000. I told them to come here.
“I told them what happened and the address.”
Seth also listened to the advice of those on the other end of the 000 call and got a towel to put on his mum’s head to try and stop the bleeding and turned on the front light and opened the door for the paramedics when they arrived.
The paramedics were pleased to be able to visit Seth and Ms Arthur again last week under much nicer circumstances and to raise awareness of how important it is for children to learn what to do in an emergency.
“Ultimately we wanted to celebrate Seth’s achievements,” Mr Looby said.
“At the moment the world can be a dark place, and things like this make it brighter.
“We always meet people under bad circumstances, so it’s always good to say thanks.
“You helped us out and it was really stressful,” he told Seth.
“You did really well and we wanted to say thank you.”
Mr Tampi said the paramedics felt it was important to visit the youngster again and let him know how well he’d done.
“Because of how brave you were, you acted fast and called 000 at the right time.”
Mr Tampi congratulated Seth on his actions and for doing all the right things in an emergency.
“Your actions you demonstrated with your mum are really special,” he said.
Ms Arthur said she was proud of her son’s efforts that night.
“I think he was fabulous,” she said.
Ms Arthur said she would advocate for other parents to teach their children about calling 000 in emergencies.
As well as all the presents left by the paramedics, Seth also had a chance to climb into the ambulance and turn on the lights and the sirens — something that made his face light up.
A Year 3 student at St Brendan’s Primary School in Shepparton, Seth is also justifiably proud of his efforts and plans to display his certificate in the lounge room at home.