Recognition Ceremony

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Cunningham Fire Rescue Honors Seven Year Old and Dispatcher

Cunningham Fire Rescue honored seven year-old Adin Delkic and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Supervisor Shawn O’Mara for their exemplary actions during a medical emergency that occurred on August 31, 2007. Both Adin Delkic and Dispatcher O’Mara were presented with certificates of recognition at a ceremony that took place at Cunningham Fire Protection District Station #1 on Sunday November 11, 2007.

On the morning of August 31, 2007 Adin Delkic found his mother unconscious and he could not determine if she was breathing. Adin recognized that he needed to summon help and called 9-1-1. Dispatcher O’Mara received the call and was not only able to get necessary information from Adin to send emergency responders to render aid; but also helped Adin to stay calm and make sure that his younger brother was also okay until the firefighters and paramedics arrived.

Had it not been for Adin quickly recognizing that his mother was having a medical emergency and taking appropriate actions to summon medical help the out come of the positive outcome of the call may not have occurred. Cunningham Fire Rescue Lieutenant David Mueller, who was one of the responders said that “Because of the child’s ability to push his fear aside and act in a calm matter, his actions resulted in his mother receiving prompt and appropriate care…I believe the child’s actions showed maturity beyond his age.”

Furthermore, the professionalism demonstrated and the manner in which Dispatcher O’Mara handled the 9-1-1 call helped in quickly getting emergency responders en-route and on-scene to administer the medical care that led to a positive outcome for Adin and his family.

This incident demonstrates the importance of educating school-aged children how and when to use the 9-1-1 system in the case of an emergency. Many emergency services agencies provide information on using the 9-1-1 system and some can also provide opportunities to practice calling 9-1-1 through the use of practice stations and interaction with the emergency dispatchers at public educational events.

Cunningham Fire Rescue is a Fire Protection District serving approximately 57,000 citizens by providing fire and Emergency Medical Services to urban portions of central Unincorporated Arapahoe County which includes portions of the City of Centennial. Cunningham Fire provides these services from three fire stations, with 73 uniformed firefighters and an administrative staff of six. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office provides emergency dispatching services to Cunningham Fire through the United Fire Dispatch Authority.