South Carolina APCO/NENA Child Hero Award

Purpose: The primary purpose of this program is to reward children who have demonstrated, through their actions, an understanding of the proper use of the emergency 9-1-1 system. A secondary purpose for this program is to use the reward program to promote continuing education and reinforcement of the proper use of the emergency 9-1-1 system.

Criteria: The program is designed for children 13 years of age or younger; however, exceptions may be considered under special circumstances. The 9-1-1 call must either be self-initiated by the child and / or the child followed pre-arrival medical instructions, or performed some other heroic act.

Award candidates must be submitted for review to a committee selected by the SC APCO / NENA Awards Committee. The nomination agency should submit a brief outline of the incident and a tape recording of the telephone call. All nominees will be recognized and receive a “HERO” certificate and the overall winner will receive a small plaque and t-shirt.

Award Presentation Format:

The ideal location for the recognition and award presentations will be the Annual Conference in Myrtle Beach. It will be the responsibility of the nomination agency to contact the child’s family and invite them to the awards banquet. SC APCO/NENA will not be responsible for any expenses. If this location is not feasible for the family, the following locations are available: (A board member that is in the area where the child lives could present this award) The next best location for award presentations is in the child’s school classroom. Not only will this enhance the child’s experience, but also it will provide an excellent opportunity to educate and promote the proper use of 9-1-1. Award presentations may also occur at local government meetings; such as City Council or County Council.