Hayden, seven, of Gosport is hailed a hero for life-saving 999 call after his dad fell seriously illÂ

Mum Becky popped out to the shops leaving her two sons, Hayden and Presley, four, with dad Dan.

But shortly after Dan, who has Type 1 diabetes, suffered a hypoglycaemic fit and was left lying unconscious on the floor in the family's living room in Gosport.

Having been told by his parents what he should do if this happened, Hayden reached for the phone and dialled 999.

He told The News: '˜They asked me if Daddy was dead and I said no because he was making noises. They asked me if he was breathing and I said yes but he isn't speaking to me.

'˜I told them Daddy's age and what he has wrong with him and our address so they could come and help him.'

Several minutes into the call on Saturday, November 9, Becky, 26, arrived home.

She said: '˜I came in and Hayden was on the phone and when I spoke to the 999 caller she said Hayden had done all the hard work and the paramedics would be with us shortly.

'˜She said she was so shocked that he was only seven but remained calm through the whole thing and managed to keep his brother calm as well as he was crying about his jam sandwich.'

Father Dan, 28, said: '˜All I remember is waking up on the floor to paramedics pumping insulin into my system.

'˜I am so proud of Hayden for saving me and it is great that he really took on board what we told him previously to do if anything like this were to happen but obviously we didn't think anything like this would.'

The pair want children to be taught more about what to do in emergency situations at school and how to dial 999.

Dan, who is an engineer, said: '˜I think it is so important kids know what to do because it could help and with our situation it really has.

'˜It also may prevent hoax calls by children because they will get a better understanding about 999 being for emergencies and the impact hoax calls can have.'

 

Steve Glew, the emergency call taker at the clinical co-ordination centre said: '˜Hayden was very calm and acted very quickly to get the correct help for his seriously ill dad.

'˜He was very clear in what was wrong and gave a very good account of events which helped me as a call taker to arrange the correct help quickly. He remained calm throughout the call and expertly checked his dad's condition as well as carrying out instruction perfectly.  '˜He knew exactly what to do and he did it confidently, being accurate with the address, his dad's details and even down to ensuring the ambulance crew could get in easily. My role in this was to ensure Hayden remained calm, knew what needed to be done and distracted him from panic by talking to him and praising his brave efforts in assisting his Dad.  '˜He was taught by his parents to call 999 in the event of any emergency which in this case has proved invaluable. Children knowing what to do in a time of need is so important and I believe in this case Hayden definitely contributed to an early response and potentially life-saving treatment for his dad. '˜I just want to say a personal well done to such a brave boy; in a time of crisis he showed great poise and calmness and deserves all the recognition he gets. He is always welcome to come in and see what we do. Well done Hayden!'

 

THINGS TO TEACH YOUR CHILD ABOUT CALLING 999

- Make sure you are safe before calling 999.

- Remain calm. When you call 999, the person you speak to will want to help you.  

- Give your age so they know you are not an adult. 

- Don't hang up until you are told it's okay to do so. 

- Make sure you know how to open your front door to let in the paramedics. 

- If you are not at home, find out where you are before you call. 

- You may have to go to hospital with the person who is unwell. 

- Only call 999 when you have a real emergency situation.