When Simon Phipps collapsed in the garden of his home in the Melbourne suburb of Kew, his two incredible little boys Casper and Monte leapt into action, with Casper phoning triple zero – and his younger brother Monte running to a neighbour to get help.
“I knew what to do and how to call for help because Dad showed me before. I’m happy he taught me how to call otherwise I wouldn’t know what to do and something else could have a happened,” says nine-year-old Casper.
He and his six-year-old brother were both given Junior Triple Zero awards for their brave efforts in saving Simon, 67, after the “scary” drama unfolded just after he and the boys had returned from church in December, 2018.
Simon is so proud his boys managed to keep calm in an emergency.
(Image: Supplied)“I’m in awe of both of them,” beams the proud dad, who suffered multiple seizures, while his boys raced to get the help they needed to save his life.
“They were so calm, and worked together as a team to help me – it’s amazing.”
Despite feeling “stressed” and “worried”, Casper dialled 000 and was connected to an Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) representative, who helped him stay calm throughout the ordeal.
“She told me to put him on his left side and that I was doing a good job,” recalls Casper, who relayed critical health information about his dad’s symptoms and medical history during the life-saving two-minute phone call.
The boys worked quickly to save their father’s life.
(Image: Supplied)“It was very, very scary,” says Casper, whose brave actions are celebrated in a podcast I Am 000: Stories from Victoria’s Triple Zero service, which is produced by ESTA and can be played on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Simon had no recollection of the event when he woke up in hospital, but is incredibly proud of how mature and collected his terrified boys were when he had the opportunity to listen back to the confronting 000 call that saved his life.
“It’s something you’d like to think you’d find out one day, but you can only find out in a drama like this,” he says of his boys’ bravery, adding he believes more parents should teach their kids how to react in an emergency.
The boys were just happy to help Photo: Gavin Blue Photography
“Parents should encourage their children to get used to making phone calls, and picking up the phone to contact family members as practice.
“A confident child can do far more than one who is too frightened to move and there are lots of children out there who can do what Casper did.”
Casper and Monte say it was “cool to get a medal” after receiving the Junior Triple Zero award for their bravery in an emergency situation, but Casper says he is just “really happy I got to help my dad”.
To hear more inspiring triple zero stories, listen to I Am 000: Stories from Victoria’s triple zero service on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud or Spotify
