Siblings’ actions earn award

Western Leader, 12 November 2009
By LUKE PARKER

Two quick-thinking primary school pupils are being awarded for their prompt action in the face of danger.

Ayesha, 8, and Adam Hagevoort, 6, will be presented with a Junior Neighbourhood Support Award by police at Henderson North School during an assembly tomorrow.

The pair are receiving recognition for alerting neighbours and the Fire Service when a fire broke out in their Henderson house.

Mother Roslyn Hagevoort was drying some clothes in front of a fire and had left the room for a couple of seconds to attend to something else.

"The next minute Ayesha and Adam came running to me yelling ‘the lounge is on fire’," Ms Hagevoort says.

"A log had rolled out and set the clothes alight. I was horrified to see how quickly the flames were spreading to surrounding boxes of wood."

Ms Hagevoort says Adam grabbed the phone and dialled 111.

"Both he and Ayesha gave the right information about where we lived and our phone number," she says.

Ayesha ran outside and yelled at the neighbours, alerting them to the fire and asking for help.

"One of them ran to our house with his fire extinguisher," she says.

Ms Hagevoort tried to put the flames out before the Fire Service arrived and finished the job.

Damage to the lounge was minimal thanks to the youngsters.

The mother-of-three is grateful to Junior Neighbourhood Support for encouraging parents to keep teaching and reinforcing safety messages to children.

"I have regularly rehearsed with the children what they need to do in case of fire or any other emergencies – how to get out of the house and to take care of their older brother Aaron, 11, who has down syndrome. It’s just repetition and it sticks in their minds, so at the time, even though they were scared, they knew what to do," Ms Hagevoort says.

"I was really proud of how well they responded and remembered what they had been taught."

Junior Neighbourhood Support is a social responsibility reward programme designed for years 1 to 8 with the aim of encouraging pride, safety and community spirit in school children.

Co-ordinator Samantha Farquhar says the programme is running in nine west Auckland schools and aims to have more on board next year.

Children nominated each term receive an award and goodie bag presented by police or fire officers.

They also get the chance to attend a special "big day out" at the end of the school year.

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/western-leader/3051380/Siblings-actions-earn-award