One night last October, Kaliyah woke up around 2 a.m. and smelled smoke.

“I could barely breathe,” she recalls.

She sprang out of bed to investigate and saw a fire blazing on the stove in the kitchen. The flames were starting to spread. 

Kaliyah didn’t panic. Thanks to a fire drill at her school, she knew exactly what to do. She held a bandanna over her nose and mouth so she wouldn’t breathe in the smoke. She dropped to the floor because she knows smoke rises. Kaliyah crawled to her mom’s bedroom to wake her up. Then she woke her younger siblings and carried some of them outside.

“I was scared, but I was more focused on trying to get everybody out,” Kaliyah says.

Firefighters arrived and put out the flames. Unfortunately, the house was destroyed. But because of Kaliyah’s quick thinking, no one was injured. 

Kaliyah’s Tip: “Try not to panic. If you do, you won’t be able to think clearly.”

One night last October, Kaliyah woke up around 2 a.m. and smelled smoke.

“I could barely breathe,” she recalls.

She sprang out of bed to investigate. That’s when she saw a fire. It was blazing on the stove in the kitchen. The flames were starting to spread. 

Kaliyah didn’t panic. Thanks to a fire drill at her school, she knew exactly what to do. She held a bandanna over her nose and mouth. That way she wouldn’t breathe in the smoke. She dropped to the floor. That’s because she knows smoke rises. Kaliyah crawled to her mom’s bedroom to wake her up. Then she woke her younger siblings. She even carried some of them outside.

“I was scared, but I was more focused on trying to get everybody out,” Kaliyah says.

Firefighters arrived and put out the flames. Unfortunately, the house was destroyed. But because of Kaliyah’s quick thinking, no one was injured. 

Kaliyah’s Tip: “Try not to panic. If you do, you won’t be able to think clearly.”

The morning of April 21 started out like any other school day. Jake and his friend Kyan Burton were in their fourth-grade classroom, finishing a reading test. Suddenly, Kyan started choking. A piece of candy was stuck in his throat.

Their teacher, Althea Dixon, rushed over. She started performing the Heimlich (HIGHM-lik) maneuver—a technique that can help save someone who’s choking. Dixon stood behind Kyan and wrapped her arms around his abdomen. Then she made one hand into a fist, covered it with the other, and started pulling inward and upward. But the candy wouldn’t budge. 

That’s when Jake jumped in. He continued doing the Heimlich maneuver while Dixon called the school office to ask for help. Jake had learned the technique a few years earlier. Before long, the piece of candy popped out. 

“I was relieved,” Jake says. “It felt good to save him.”

Jake’s Tip: “Listen to the voice inside you. It can help you make decisions, especially in an emergency.” 

The morning of April 21 started out like any other. Jake and his friend Kyan Burton were in their fourth-grade classroom. They were finishing a reading test. Suddenly, Kyan started choking. A piece of candy was stuck in his throat.

Their teacher, Althea Dixon, rushed over. She started performing the Heimlich (HIGHM-lik) maneuver. That’s a technique that can help save someone who’s choking. Dixon stood behind Kyan. She wrapped her arms around his abdomen. Then she made one hand into a fist and covered it with the other. And she started pulling inward and upward. But the candy wouldn’t budge. 

That’s when Jake jumped in. He continued doing the Heimlich maneuver while Dixon called the school office to ask for help. Jake had learned the technique a few years earlier. Before long, the piece of candy popped out. 

“I was relieved,” Jake says. “It felt good to save him.”

Jake’s Tip: “Listen to the voice inside you. It can help you make decisions, especially in an emergency.” 

In June 2022, twins Christian and Bridon were playing with their friend Sam. The brothers’ dad, Brad Hassig, was in the pool nearby. Christian noticed something was wrong: His dad had passed out and was slumped over in the water.

“His face was turning blue,” Christian says.

Bridon and Sam jumped into the pool and pulled Hassig out. Christian ran for help. He flagged down a car and told the driver to call 911. 

Meanwhile, Bridon started CPR, a lifesaving procedure to help someone who has stopped breathing. Bridon put one hand over the other and pushed hard on his dad’s chest. After a few minutes, Hassig coughed up water—a sign he was breathing again. 

Soon, paramedics arrived and took Hassig to the hospital. Because of the boys’ quick thinking, he fully recovered.

Bridon’s Tip: “Do not swim by yourself. Always have someone with you.”

In June 2022, twins Christian and Bridon were playing with their friend Sam. Brad Hassig is the brothers’ dad. He was in the pool nearby. Christian noticed something was wrong. His dad had passed out and was slumped over in the water.

“His face was turning blue,” Christian says.

Bridon and Sam jumped into the pool. They pulled Hassig out. Christian ran for help. He flagged down a car and told the driver to call 911. 

Meanwhile, Bridon started CPR. That’s a lifesaving procedure to help someone who has stopped breathing. Bridon put one hand over the other and pushed hard on his dad’s chest. After a few minutes, Hassig coughed up water. This was a sign he was breathing again. 

Soon, paramedics arrived and took Hassig to the hospital. He has since fully recovered. And it’s all thanks to the boys’ quick thinking.

Bridon’s Tip: “Do not swim by yourself. Always have someone with you.”