9-1-1 DAY IN GEORGIA

March 8, 2007 was 9-1-1 day in Georgia. Governor Sonny Perdue presented a "medal of honor" and an awards certificate to 15 youngsters, one of whom was fromFayette County. On January 3, 2006, Matthew Sparr was watching cartoons when his mom suffered a medical emergency. Realizing his mom was in distress, Matthew called 9-1-1. The he second-guessed his instincts and hung up before the operator could begin questioning him. Surely, his mother would wake up on her own at any moment. Dispatcher Chris Nations immediately called Matthew back and asked what was wrong. This time, Matthew described his mother's symptoms and remained on the line to answer all of Nations' questions.  Matthew's call sent paramedics to his house within minutes, where they revived his mother with oxygen. The story may not have had a happy ending if Matthew did not dial 9-1-1.