Ridley Twp. gives a hand to a pint-sized life saver
Jackson Bauer is only 7 years old, but he’s already being thought of as a hero for removing his baby sister from his Leedom Estates house when a clothes dryer in the basement caught fire.
The board of commissioners honored the Leedom Elementary School first-grader at its May meeting last week with a citation presented by Sixth Ward Commissioner Mike MCrea. The police department gifted the youngster with a gift bag that included a police badge, a water bottle and a shirt. Jackson received a standing ovation from the board and the audience after he was given the citation.
Jackson’s father, Nathan, explained what happened in the basement of the family’s Clymer Lane house on May 7.
“I pushed the starter on the dryer and saw smoke and then more smoke and Jackson kept getting upset. He said, ‘Are we going to die?’ I said no and I told him to put his shoes on and go upstairs,” Bauer said.
And while his dad called 911, Jackson ran upstairs to the bedroom where his 7-month old sister, Harper, was sleeping. He managed to get her into her stroller and down a flight of stairs to the first floor, outside to the deck and up the street to a neighbor’s house. In the meantime the Leedom Fire Co. arrived.
“There were flames. The fire department came and did what they are trained to do,” Bauer said, adding that there was some smoke damage to the basement of the house.
In addition to Jackson’s mother, Samantha, and sister Harper, Leedom School Principal Melissa O’Doherty and Leedom Fire Chief Tom Silpath were on hand for the presentation.
As for Jackson’s reaction to all the excitement surrounding him at the meeting, he said he knew he was being honored.
“But he asked me what honored meant,” his smiling father said.