Tredyffrin 8-Year-Old Awarded for Life-Saving Actions

Saving her mother’s life was the true prize for an 8-year-old girl from the Chesterbrook section of Tredyffrin, but she happily welcomed a special award from the Chester County Department of Emergency Services earlier this month.

Ashley Kirk received a Chester County 911 Award on May 7 during a special assembly at Valley Forge Elementary School, joined by her family and representatives from the county and Berwyn Fire Department, according to the Times of Chester County.

According to the Berwyn Fire Department, emergency personnel was dispatched to a medical emergency on January 25 at 6:01 a.m. in Chesterbrook, where they found that Ashley was the 911 caller trying to help her mother.

According to Chester County Department of Emergency Services, dispatcher Steve Bacharach kept Ashley on the phone while he entered her information and police and EMS units were dispatched.

“Using a cell phone, Ashley was ready to answer questions about her location, and when asked by Bacharach, unlocked the front door for the emergency responders,” the department said in a statement. “By knowing vital information, like her mom’s personal information and home address, help was able to be sent quickly to her mom.”

Photo courtesy Berwyn Fire Department.