Girl praised for helping sibling scalded by hot tea

"I felt like he trusted me and I trusted him," says eight-year-old Farah Alim-Palmer, reflecting on the moment she spoke to 999 when her baby brother suffered burns after spilling a hot drink on himself.

Farah was at home in Islington, north London with her mother and 18-month-old brother Gabriel when the drink scalded him after he reached for it on the counter.

"I heard a big smash," she said. "I turned around and saw my brother Gabi crying and crying. I felt panicked."

In recognition of her courage on the 999 call, Farah was invited to visit London Ambulance Service's headquarters to meet the staff who helped her family.

She was also awarded a special certificate recognising her actions.

Call handler Matthew Hawkins said he would never forget speaking to Farah on the phone because of how brave and helpful she was.

"My mum ran up to the bathroom with Gabi," said Farah.

"I stepped around the broken teacup and ran up to the bathroom where my mum was showering Gabi’s burns and she handed me the phone.

"I felt excited as I had never talked to an ambulance person before, but I wasn’t sure what to say.

"But then it all came to me because the person on the phone made me feel really calm and safe.

"He asked me questions about my brother and told me what to do. I told him my address, my house number and our postcode. I felt like he trusted me and I trusted him."

Gabriel made a full recovery from the burn. He was left with a small scar but this is expected to disappear as he grows older.

Mr Hawkins said he was "delighted" to meet Farah and her family.

He said: "She was extremely brave.

"There’s a good handful of calls that I will never forget and this is one of them."

Farah's mother Nadja said she was "amazed" by her daughter's calm attitude on the phone.

“I was surprised that Farah knew our address, including the postcode, off by heart.

"To say I'm very proud is an understatement.

"My advice to parents would be to teach children from the age of about six the number for emergency services and also their full address.

"We have been doing this with Farah's younger sister since the accident."

During the family's visit to the London Ambulance headquarters in Waterloo, Farah and her siblings Gabriel and Anouk sat in an ambulance, sat on a specialised London Ambulance motorcycle and were allowed to try on the paramedic's helmet.

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