A YOUNGSTER who pulled her badly burned mother from their burning Ryde home and, with her younger sister, attended to her until an ambulance arrived, were presented with bravery awards.
At the police's Isle of Wight District Commander’s Awards ceremony, held Newport Congregational Church on Wednesday evening last week, Caitlin John, was presented with a certificate from the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire, and her sister, Alice, was presented with a Letter of Commendation from the society.
Early morning on August 13, 2020, a fire broke out at their home in Ryde. Inside the address were the girls, aged 12 and nine at the time, and their mother, Sian John.
After shouting for her children to get themselves and the family dog safely out of their home, Sian tried to tackle the fire with bowls of water, but soon became overpowered by the smoke and flames.
Within minutes, Sian collapsed and is thought to have lost consciousness.
Worried her mum had not yet escaped the property, Caitlin went back into the house and pulled her mum to safety.
The two girls then both tended to Sian as they awaited the arrival of the emergency services.
Sian suffered serious burn injuries and was airlifted to Salisbury Hospital, where she remained for a number of weeks.
"Caitlin’s brave actions saved her mother’s life," a police spokesman said.
"She demonstrated leadership beyond her years, towards her younger sister, giving her instructions to stay calm and to keep herself and the dog safe when she feared the worst."
When firefighters arrived, the first floor of the house was well alight and there was a fear the fire would spread to an adjoining house.
The actions of the fire service saved the neighbouring house, but the John's home was severely fire and smoke damaged and was not habitable for many months.
The case of the John family was one of several marked by accolades, for the outstanding actions of police officers and staff, and members of the public, who went 'above and beyond'.
Civic guests heard of the bravery and dedication of not only police officers and staff from Hampshire Constabulary working on the Island, but of selfless members of the public who came to the aid of others in their time of need.
The awards were hosted by Superintendent Rob Mitchell, who welcomed a number of special civic guests at the event, including Chief Constable Scott Chilton and Isle of Wight High Sheriff, Dawn Haig-Thomas.
Officers were also recognised for their support to victims, including a group of officers who worked on a lengthy child sex abuse investigation.
Speaking at the ceremony, Supt Mitchell said: “Our officers and staff have conducted exceptional policing throughout the year. Quite often the work they do, they see as business as usual — but it’s not.
"They’ve safeguarded vulnerable people, caught criminals and got justice for victims.
“We don’t always hear that being celebrated or talked about, so this is a chance to bring everyone together and recognise when they’ve gone the extra mile.
“We’re very lucky on the Isle of Wight. We have an awful lot of committed officers, who work tirelessly to keep the public safe.
“It was great to hear some fantastic stories about bravery, about endurance in pursuing outcomes for vulnerable people and even a couple of young girls who saved their mother from a burning building.”
Certificates were presented by the Chief Constable and the High Sheriff.
Isle of Wight police cadets were also attested at the event.
House Rules
We do not moderate comments, but we expect readers to adhere to certain rules in the interests of open and accountable debate.
Read the rules here