Tuesday morning the city of Fort Worth and firefighters honored Jaziyah Parker, 12, for her quick thinking to call 911 back in March when she noticed her family became ill. Firefighters said they all were experiencing symptoms from carbon monoxide poisoning.
"What made me call 911, I saw my mama and siblings acting weird," said Parker during Tuesday morning's city council meeting.
Her mom, brothers and sister all sat in the front row as they watched their oldest sibling receive honors from Fort Worth City Council Member Chris Nettles and from Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis.
"We’re here celebrating life today and the reason we’re celebrating life today is because of a 12-year-old," said Davis who gave Parker a plaque for her quick thinking and calmness in a life or death situation.
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He also took the moment to stress the importance of having a carbon monoxide detector inside a home or apartment since it's an odorless and colorless gas that can be fatal.
The girl's mother said she was getting ready to put her then 5-month-old son to bed when she started feeling ill.
"I started throwing up, anytime I feel sick, I get in the tub or the shower always," said Ariel Mitchell, mother of the 5 siblings. "So I was running water so I could feel good, I started throwing up, started feeling more sick and woke up to an ambulance in my face, I had no idea what was going on."
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The mother, baby and other siblings began to pass out. 911 tapes released by Fort Worth Police detail the conversation Parker had with dispatch.
"Something is wrong with my mama," said Parker in the beginning as 911 dispatch took down her information.
"My baby brother, he’s only 5 months, and something wrong with him too, he’s acting different," she said to the dispatcher. "All of them keep on passing out now."
During the call, you could hear the screaming of other kids and Parker relaying the actions of those who were becoming more ill.
"Now my sister says she’s dizzy and shaking and all that," said Parker in the 911 call.
“I’m going to close the door, I’m scared," she said to the dispatcher.
One of the first responders to arrive at her door was Lt. Robby Leonguerrero with the Fort Worth Fire Department.
"Two of us went to investigate and brought the carbon monoxide detector just in case and once the little girl opened the door, the detector went off at 150 ppm which is quite a bit," said Leonguerrero.
He said he was greeted at the door by Parker. He could be heard at the end of the call asking who was inside the home, then his detector was beeping non-stop. Leonguerrero told Parker to get out of the house.
“I had ran downstairs and I had opened the door and they came in and told us to step outside. Then they took my siblings and mom out, I was texting my granny and telling her what was happening," said Parker.
"All she said was, 'Mom is upstairs in the bathtub,' and then collapsed. When you opened the door and you looked, saw her sister on the stairwell collapsed, vomiting, saw her brother upstairs vomiting and I knew they only had minutes so we didn't have time to go back to the truck and put our gear back on, they wouldn’t have lasted that long," explained Leonguerrero about his interaction with Parker.
He and several other firefighters were also honored for their courageous efforts to save the family without protective gear.
"Unfortunately we do see a lot of tragedy throughout our career and to see people that we save actually see them in person afterwards, makes the job all worth it," he said while meeting with Parker and her family.
“I’m proud of her, and I guess I’m doing a good job. I’m grateful to be here, I’m grateful for her, I’m grateful for the firefighters, and I thank everyone for y’alls concern," said Ariel Mitchell, Parker's mother who also said it's important to call 911 if you feel like anything is wrong.
Leonguerrero also applauded Parker for her quick actions and for calling 911.
"She was feeling the effects, you could tell, she had just enough to say ‘Mom is in the tub,' all she cared about was her family which was amazing," he said.
As for the 12-year-old who is looking forward to spending summertime with her family, she too acknowledged her actions and is glad that she did what she did.
“I know I did a good job," said Parker.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include vomiting, dizziness, headache, passing out, confusion and flu-like symptoms. To learn more on how to keep you and your family safe, click here.
