Fire department presents Lifesaving Award to young girl

Despite running more than 2,000 responses within Mountain Brook city limits each year, Lt. Brent Cooper recounted one from late June that sticks out in his and his coworkers' memory.

Late in the afternoon while her mother was not home, 8-year-old Madelyn Hyde was with her father and two younger siblings when she noticed her father was having a medical emergency. Instead of wondering what to do, she took her father's phone and texted her mom, called 911 and gave dispatchers her home address to come help.

"We didn't really understand the whole magnitude of who called ... and we show up and see Miss Madelyn standing there with a little brother and another younger sibling," said Cooper. "So we're seeing an [8] year old step into the role of an adult."

Now, the fire department is lauding Madelyn as a hero for taking action to save her father.

Cooper said they are thankful her parents had taught her how to respond to this type of situation while she was growing up and that Madelyn was able to react quickly.

"I'm glad that my parents taught me to call 911," Madelyn said. "But, I think Ethan would have done that too." Ethan is her 6-year-old brother. 

"I'm just really proud that in a crisis moment like that, she maintained her composure and was very responsible," said her mother, Alison Hyde. 

Fire Chief Chris Mullins also addressed the concept of who is a hero.

"If that doesn't include an [8] year old little girl, I would encourage you to broaden your perspective of what a hero is," he said.

He, along with Cooper, Battalion Chief David Kennedy and Deputy Chief Stacey Cole then presented Madelyn with a Lifesaving Medal and the Superhero Award for her fast and heroic actions on behalf of the Mountain Brook Fire Department and the city of Mountain Brook.

"'Hero' is not something that we just toss around in the fire service," Cole said. "She truly is the reason we're here, because of people like her."

This is the first award of its kind that the fire department has presented.

"I'm just glad I helped my dad," Madelyn said.