Michaela Meade
Skye Calleja has been named among 21 young Victorians as a Junior Triple Zero Hero by the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA), for calling triple-0.
The then 11-year-old Tullamarine local called for emergency services when her dad received severe burns from a fire pit.
Skye told the call-taker exactly where her dad had been burned, closely monitored his condition.
Skye said the experience was scary for her.
“Dad walked out of the bathroom in a lot of pain, I have never seen him like that before,” she said.
“Mum wasn’t home, so I rang her and she told me to get him in the shower. I did that.
“[Then I] called an ambulance… [and] told them what had happened.
“When [mum] got home, I hung up and told her what I had done and what the operator had said, then I went and waited out the front for the ambulance to arrive so I could show them where dad was.”
Skye’s mum, Melissa Calleja, said her entire family are proud of what Skye was able to do.
“She was super calm, and in control,” Ms Calleja said.
“There are many people who would just freak out and have no idea what to do in an emergency.
“We are amazed – but I guess not surprised – that she was able to perform so well in this scary situation.
“She is a great kid.”
