Photo Courtesy of Chicago-Sun Times
Daniel Armani, who goes by D.J., was rewarded this Friday for a 911 call that he made on May 30 when his mother was having an epileptic seizure.
According to the Chicago-Sun Times, the little boy calmly and coolly relayed critical information to the rescue team while comforting his mother at the time of the incident.
Dianne Statts-Mareci, the Chicago Fire Department communications officer who handled the call, said, “I’ve been here for 18 years and handled thousands and thousands of calls, but this guy was a step ahead, especially for being so young.”
Statts-Mareci said the call was transferred to her by police communication officer Andrea Jones after it was said to be a medical issue.
Jones stayed on the phone, and both of them took information from D.J. that helped save his mom, Tarissa Clark.
“We get a lot of calls from kids, but you could hear in his voice that something wasn’t right,” Jones said, explaining why she transferred the call to Statts-Mareci.
Both said D.J. stayed calm throughout the call and provided them with critical information.
“It’s key because all the information we ask is necessary to get the right kind of help,” Statts-Mareci said.
“This kid was spot-on. He was calm. He answered all the questions. He was very concerned to make sure his mom was OK, and he kept telling her that she was going to be OK. He talked to me calmly, calmer than most adults I talk to. He handled it like a champ,” she added.
After Statts-Mareci finished the call with D.J., she told one of her supervisors.
“I went to my supervisor and I said, ‘Sometimes we get recognized for exemplary calls. How do we recognize the public? This little fella needs somebody to know how important what he did was,’” she said.
D.J., his mother, and a few family members were later invited to the Emergency Management Office. He was presented with a challenge coin and certificate from OEMC Executive Director Rich Guidice.
He also was gifted a plastic fire helmet, a backpack from acting CFD Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt, and a Lego fire truck.
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After a private tour of the 911 call center, D.J. and his family went to the Engine 16 fire station in Bronzeville, at Pershing Road and Wabash Avenue, where D.J. was presented with a new bike and helmet by retired firefighters Kirkland Flowers and Art Lewis.
D.J. and his family also got a firehouse tour where he took a photo being the fire truck’s steering wheel.