16 year-old Firefighter’s
Honorary Ceremony
By San Bernardino County Fire Public
Information Officer Tracey Martinez
Muscoy, Ca. - Tuesday February 22, 2022, Ryan Asher displayed
his bravery by performing the Heimlich Maneuver on his mother, Stephanie Clark,
ultimately saving her life.
16-year-old Ryan is an autistic teen who learned
how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver from his late grandmother, Myrtle Goldie,
not knowing that one day he would be using this skill set on his own mom. This
life-saving event took place when Ryan noticed his mother choking and in
distress, he immediately ran to her and started the Heimlich Maneuver.
The Heimlich Maneuver is nothing new to Ryan. When
he was 5 years old, his grandmother Myrtle administered the same maneuver on
Ryan when he was choking. “
“It’s not every day we come across brave young men
such as Ryan,” stated Assistant Chief Dan Mejia. “Ryan showed courage in the
midst of a crisis and immediately jumped into action. May he be an
inspiration to others.”
The Heimlich Maneuver is a simple technique that
can be learned by anyone to help save lives. An individual performing this
procedure needs to carry different skills such as patience, trust and
confidence to ensure that it is done correctly. Thousands of people die every
year from just choking. Choking alone is the fourth leading cause of
unintentional injury deaths.
· Source: NSC. https://www.nsc.org/home-safety/safety-topics/chokingsuffocation
Thursday March 17th at San Bernardino
County Fire Station #75 in Muscoy, Ryan was given a life-saving award and made
an Honorary Firefighter with the San Bernardino County Fire Protection
District. His ultimate reward, a ride in the fire engine!
Ryan was quick to say a few words after riding
along in the fire engine, “The fire engine wasn’t loud but it was fun!.”
