Heroic 7-year-old girl calls 911, saves father's life

The courage of a 7-year-old is being officially celebrated by her town.

A month after calling 911 because her father fell and became unconscious on the stairs, Mia Bates is scheduled to be recognised by her community.

On Tuesday (February 24), Mia will be awarded the key to the village and commended by Mayor Jade Curry and first responders.

The Village of Lynwood praised Mia's "courage and swift action" for assisting in "saving her father's life."

"After her father, Xavier, experienced a serious fall at their home, Mia remained composed under stress, called 911, gave essential information to the dispatcher, and allowed paramedics to enter when they arrived," the town posted in a January statement shared on social media. "Her actions were pivotal."

Xavier, a train conductor, mentioned to WLS that the incident occurred back in January while he was descending the stairs, hit his head, and then blacked out.

With Mia's mom at her job, Mia promptly acted, grabbed the phone, and dialed 911, as reported by WLS.

Mia, who suggested that others in a similar emergency should "be brave," shared with WLS that she knew her dad needed to get to the hospital "to recover" and felt "grateful the ambulance helped him."

Lynwood Fire Chief Lashaun Alston mentioned to WLS that after reviewing the call's details, he commended Mia for staying "calm" and "composed."

KidsHealth.org suggests that parents explain to their children what constitutes an emergency and when to appropriately call 911.