4-Year-Old Girl a Hero for Spotting Danger While Riding Her Bike
Boise Fire Chief Dennis Doans tells Yahoo Parenting that a local 4-year-old girl is a “wonderful example of knowing what to do” after she alerted neighbors about a blazing fire at their home. (Photo: KTVB).
She’s only just turned 4, but Rosie Moran is already a junior firefighter. And the preschooler has certainly earned the special status.
Recently while biking around her Boise, Idaho, neighborhood ahead of her father, Sean Moran, and her little sister, Rosie spotted black smoke billowing from a home. Rosie “came speeding back to me,” Sean told KTVB, and she screamed, “Daddy, there’s a fire in one of the houses!”
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Sean ran up and saw that one side of the home was ablaze. He pounded on the door and alerted the family inside, who had no idea their home was on fire because they were bathing their kids in the bathroom — right on the other side of the burning wall.
The Ortiz’s home after the fire. (Photo: KTVB)
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Homeowner Ernie Ortiz immediately rushed his wife and two young daughters outside while Sean found a hose and tried to put out the flames. “Five minutes later, it would have been a totally different story,” Ortiz told KTVB, who believes the inferno began when oily rags they’d used to stain their deck spontaneously combusted in the trash can near the side of the house. “It could have easily gotten pretty big … [Rosie] is a real hero.” (Ortiz didn’t immediately respond to Yahoo Parenting’s request for comment.)
The Ortiz and Moran families on the Ortizes’ deck. (Photo: KTVB)
The Boise Fire Department — which sent over four fire trucks to extinguish the fire — agrees. “Little Rosie is a wonderful example of knowing what to do when seeing signs of a fire,” Fire Chief Dennis Doan, tells Yahoo Parenting.
A firefighter gives Rosie Moran her honorary badge. (Photo: KTVB)
Doan adds that all moms and dads can teach their kids to be as savvy as Rosie. “We encourage all parents to have a conversation with their children about basic fire safety,” says Doan. “At Boise Fire, we even hand out stickers to children, whenever possible, as a reminder that no matter the age, children can play a vital role in saving lives.”
For resources on how to teach children fire safety, visit Fire Safe Kids.
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