A four year old boy from Pembrokeshire who called for an ambulance using Siri when his mum became unwell has been praised for his actions.
Brave Beau Austin asked Siri via an iPhone to dial 999 when his mum Jess, who is in the first trimester of her pregnancy, fainted through experiencing side effects of her morning sickness medication.
Beau spoke to Ashley Page, a 999 Emergency Medical Services call taker at Welsh Ambulance Service, who quickly identified Beau was on his own with his mum and adapted a more child-friendly style and technique to obtain Beau’s home address.
Although Jess recovered briefly to confirm her full address and answer some questions, she fainted a second time and the ambulance service again called on Beau for his help.
Ashley encouraged Beau to call his mum and try and get her to respond, and she came around a second time and spoke to Ashley. While they waited for help to arrive, they discovered that Beau had contacted 999 using Siri, a virtual personal assistant found on Apple phones.
Ashley said: “We frequently take calls from children and younger people, but I think this is the first time I’ve heard of a four-year-old using Siri to contact us. I didn’t even know you could do that! It’s great that voice technology can be used in this way.
“As call handlers we are trained to talk to callers through potential emergencies, and it was Beau’s knowledge of technology, awareness of his address and staying calm that really made a difference and helped his mum and us.”
Mum Jess said: “”It was just me and Beau in the house by ourselves so he did really, really well. To use Siri like that is incredible. I didn’t even know you could do that on a phone. He’s often having conversations with Siri but this was so clever.
“Both dad and I are extremely proud of Beau. We are so impressed by what he did, the way he handled himself and the important skills he has learnt. We cannot tell you how proud we both are of our amazing little boy.”
To recognise his bravery and clever thinking, Ashley, the ambulance service’s mascot Jack and the Patient Experience and Community Involvement (PECI) team came to Beau’s school in Hook to award him with an “I Am Brave” certificate and goodie bag.
Fiona Maclean, Service User Experience Manager from Welsh Ambulance Service’s PECI team, said: “Beau’s story shows how important it is for children to know their home address, including their postcode ideally. We engage with schools and communities to encourage children to learn their home address and what to do in an emergency.”
Headteacher Louise John, of Hook Community Primary School, added: “We are all very proud of Beau, and with the support of Welsh Ambulance Service we plan to teach all of our children the importance of knowing their own address and first aid skills.”
