Moses Lake girl is a hero after calling for help

MOSES LAKE - On a Saturday evening in late January, Grace Sanchez was watching TV with her dad and brothers in their Moses Lake home.

Her mother had gone to work for the evening.

As the family was on the couch, Sanchez' 43-year-old father, who has had a history of seizures, started to go into shock.

He was having a seizure.

It was the first time 10-year-old Sanchez had been without her mom when her dad went into shock.

She called 9-1-1.

"My dad is laying down on the floor. He is going through a seizure," Sanchez calmly said to a Multi Agency Communications Center (MACC) dispatcher in a 9-1-1 recording.

The dispatcher asked Grace where she lived.

She told the dispatcher her South Garden Drive home address.

The dispatcher asked for Grace's phone number.

She told them.

The dispatcher asked about her dad's medical history, where her mom was and if her father was away from harm.

Sanchez answered her questions with clarity.

"She doesn't sound like a 10-year-old. She sounds like an adult," said Moses Lake Fire Department Chief Tom Taylor.

Her directions led the Moses Lake Fire Department to her house. Firefighters took her dad to Samaritan Hospital.

Taylor and responding firefighters Troy Hesse and Dustin Tyler surprised Sanchez with the department's Hero award on Friday afternoon at a Garden Heights Elementary School assembly. She is a fourth grader at the school.

The award is a way to recognize children for their above-standard actions, explained Taylor.

He said he has given only two awards since his time as fire chief.

"Grace gave us all the information we needed. She was able to answer questions and let us know what we were about to go through. We were impressed by someone of her age," remembered Tyler, who works as paramedic for the fire department as well.

In addition to the Hero award, Sanchez will receive a fire truck ride to school.

MACC director Mary Allen and the dispatcher who answered Sanchez' call were also at the assembly.

They presented the 10-year-old with a separate award from MACC.

The fire chief used the assembly to discuss the importance of having children know personal information like their home address and their parents' work numbers during emergency purposes.

"What Grace did was something we want the rest of the community do. We teach kids at school presentations how to dial 9-1-1 and know parents' phone numbers and where they work," said Taylor.

After receiving the awards, Sanchez described what it was like to make the call.

"I was slightly scared when I called 9-1-1. It was the first time he was going through the unusual spinning around when my mom wasn't around," she said.

She said her dad is recovering.