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Tonya Papanikolas Reporting A Woods Cross boy was honored today for trying to help save his baby sister's life. The little girl was choking and paramedics didn't have the right address. So the boy ran for help.
The family was very excited that Adam reacted so quickly under pressure. But they're also upset that dispatchers didn't press to clarify their address. They say they're just fortunate it turned out the way it did.
Six-year-old Adam Funk is a good big brother who tries to watch over his baby sister, Sierra.
Adam Funk: "Sometimes when she tries to go up the stairs, I watch behind her."
Last month, he did more than that. Sierra was eating an apple when Adam and his brother Zach tried to make her laugh.
Sheri Funk, Mother: "She kind of sucked that down in her throat and she began to choke."
While Mom called 911, the boys went outside to wait for the paramedics. But when no one showed up, Adam remembered his friend's dad was a firefighter.
Adam Funk, Tried to Save Sister: "I rode my bike all by myself up to his house."
Cpt. Dane Stone, South Davis Metro Fire Agency: "I came upstairs and Adam said, 'Something's wrong with my baby. You need to come down and help.'"
By the time Adam and Captain Stone arrived, Sierra had swallowed the apple and was doing okay. That's when paramedics pulled up to the house. It turned out they'd gone to 1312 East instead of 1312 West.
Sheri Funk: "It's really alarming that we could have maybe lost our daughter because they were sent to the wrong address."
The police department says the dispatcher couldn't understand the address Sheri gave on the phone, so they went off the dispatch screen, which was wrong.
Sheri Funk: "What I wish is that the dispatcher would have just taken ten seconds to verify my address."
While the family wants people to know mistakes can happen, they are also proud of their son, Adam, who received a certificate today from the fire department for keeping cool under pressure.
It's your phone company that passes along your address to a 911 database center. So, to make sure this doesn't happen to you, check your telephone billing address and call your phone company to verify they have the correct one on file.
Qwest told us it's also a good idea to be specific. Instead of saying 6200, say 6200 South. Those extra details can help in an emergency.
