A 999 recording captures the moment a five-year-old girl from east London rang for an ambulance after her mum collapsed in their car.
Zaynab Qasim had just been driven home from school, when her mum Samina Iqbal fell unconscious outside their house in Romford.
Realising she could not wake her, the frightened youngster found her mum’s mobile phone and dialled 999.
In a recording of her call from last June, newly released by London Ambulance Service, Zaynab can be heard telling the control room what had happened and guiding paramedics to where she was.
The call handler asks Zaynab if her mum is awake and whether she is breathing, to which the young girl, who could not see her mum’s breathing, answered “no”.
Zaynab then provides her full address, before confirming landmarks near her home, and explaining she and her mum are in a grey car.
Call handler Natasha White reassures Zaynab, saying, “I can see where you are. Help is on its way. Just stay on the line.”
An ambulance crew quickly arrived to help Ms Iqbal, who was later found to have suffered a debilitating migraine which caused her to collapse.
Ms Iqbal said she is “so proud” of Zaynab, and urges all parents to teach their children to call 999.
“She helped me in such a stressful situation while staying so calm,” she said. “I’m so impressed she knew our address by heart.
“We actually never taught her to call 999, but because of an incident that happened to a close family member in the past, Zaynab has always known that in the event of a medical emergency you should call an ambulance.
“I now think all parents should teach their children how to make emergency phone calls.”
Zaynab, who turned six last week, has now visited the London Ambulance Service (LAS) headquarters in Waterloo with her mum, and dad Muhammad, where she met Ms White and was given a certificate honouring her bravery.
“Zaynab did so brilliantly on the call,” said Ms White. “She managed to stay calm and was able to give me her full address and landmarks which made it easy for the ambulance crew to reach her mum.
“I loved meeting her. Call handlers rarely get to meet callers or the patients we help. And this was a very special caller!”
LAS Director of 999 Operations Stuart Crichton, who also met Zaynab, described her as “a very clever girl and a credit to her parents”.
“Teaching your child how to call 999 in an emergency could save your life,” he said.
“You don’t need to unlock a phone to make a 999 call, but it is important that children know their full address and how to open the front door in an emergency.”
