Brave children honoured by ambulance service for raising alarm to help man

Three children who raised the alarm after finding an unresponsive man by a riverbank have been recognised with bravery awards by East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).

Jacob MacLeod, 10, Patrick Kroszkiewicz, 10, and Poppy James, 14, were playing in Lakenheath on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve when they came across a man lying by the riverbank and in urgent need of help.

Realising something was wrong, the children ran to an adult couple they spotted nearby and explained what they had found. One of the adults immediately called 999 and once the situation was assessed by a call handler in the Norwich Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) an ambulance crew was sent to assist.

Although the man was breathing, he required urgent medical assistance.

When the ambulance arrived, our crew were met by Jacob, who helped guide the crew to the man’s location which was difficult to access due to the steep riverbank.

Our crew treated the man on scene but, because of the muddy terrain and steep slope, specialist support was required. The Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) was dispatched from Melbourn Headquarters in Cambridgeshire.

Four HART paramedics and a HART supervisor attended the incident. Using their Toyota Hilux 4x4 vehicle, the team safely extricated the man from the riverbank before he was transferred to the ambulance and taken to hospital.

Jacob’s mum Jade said the children took some time to process what they had done.

She said:

“It really hit them the magnitude of what had happened once the ambulance arrived.

“We reassured them that they had done everything right. While Jacob has autism and can sometimes find unfamiliar situations challenging, on this occasion he remained calm, focused, and in control throughout.

“The whole community in Lakenheath has praised their actions, and to now receive a bravery award from the ambulance service is very special for all three of them. It reinforces that they did exactly the right thing.”

Poppy’s mum, Gemma, added:

“The fire brigade training Poppy received at school helped her stay calm at the time.

“This really highlights how vital early education is in helping children understand what to do in an emergency.”

EEAST’s Chief Paramedic and Director of Quality, Simon Chase, praised the children’s calm thinking and swift action, highlighting the vital role they played in ensuring the man received urgent medical care.

He said:

“Because of Jacob, Poppy and Patrick’s quick actions, we were able to assign an ambulance promptly and get the urgent care to the man when he needed it most.

“It was a real pleasure to present them with bravery awards and to recognise that what they did that day was truly remarkable.”