Criteria

Hero nominees should be young children (approx. ages 4-11) who have made exceptional calls to 9-1-1. Hero calls should be those that were made for the true emergency use of 9-1-1: to save a life, stop a crime or report a fire. The call ought to have ended positively and the Hero Nominee should have been able to interact well and assist the dispatcher or call taker. However, exceptions may be considered under special circumstances. The 9-1-1 call must either be self initiated by the child and / or the child followed pre-arrival medical instructions, or performed some other heroic act. Award candidates must be submitted for review to a committee comprised of—The nomination agency should submit a brief outline of the incident and a tape recording of the telephone call.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this program is to reward young children who have demonstrated, through their actions, an understanding of the proper use of the emergency 9-1-1 systems here in Iowa. The Iowa NENA/Iowa E-911 Council 9-1-1 Hero program is an important and fun program for 9-1-1 and raises awareness for the Public Safety industry and our Iowa NENA Association and the State of Iowa E-911 Council. The Iowa NENA Chapter and E-911 Council is eagerly looking forward to participating in this excellent program and through our membership, work together to help educate the public about the importance of learning about 9-1-1 and reinforcement of the proper use of the emergency 9-1-1 systems here in Iowa.

Award Presentation Format

The location for award presentations is the Spring NENA/APCO Conference. Not only will this enhance the child’s experience, but also it will provide an excellent opportunity to educate and promote the proper use of 9-1-1. The local TV stations may broadcast award presentations. While optional, press releases can provide another opportunity to recognize the award recipient’s accomplishment and to promote the proper use of 9-1-1. The nominee(s) selected will need to be able to travel (with their chaperone) to the Iowa NENA conference in Des Moines, Iowa. The selected Hero(s) will be recognized and presented with their awards on October 28, 2008, at the Holiday Inn, formally (Four Points Sheraton Hotel.)