Oduntan Family Earns BFRS Heroism Award
The Oduntan family — most notably 9-year-old Zoe and 6-year-old Eli Oduntan — earned the Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service [BFRS] Heroism Award after helping to save their father.
A Government spokesperson said, “Yesterday, the Minister of National Security, the Hon. Renee Ming recognized the incredible bravery of two very special children during the inaugural Fire Service Community Heroism Awards ceremony.
“The event, which took place at the Hamilton Fire Station, was organised by the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service. And it was an opportunity to honour the Oduntan family who averted a tragedy when Mrs. Yemi Oduntan and children Zoe and Eli Oduntan [ages 9 and 6 respectively] jumped into action to save the life of their father during a near drowning incident earlier this year.
Minster Ming said she was amazed at the heroic acts of the family members, particularly the children saying, “Zoe and Eli – you have you have done something truly unbelievable and I am just amazed by your act of bravery. Through sheer determination, you put aside your fear and averted tragedy. I should also mention the lifesaving efforts of Mrs. Oduntan, who was able to administer CPR on Mr. Oduntan for 12 minutes until the fire fighters arrived.
“Thankfully we are all here today to honour you and to tell you just how incredibly proud we are of you. These are the kinds of heroic selfless acts that shape and stengthen us. I think there will be those who will join me in saying that you should definitely consider the Fire Service as a potential future career, because you definitely have what it takes! Ultimately, we are here because Zoe and Eli and their family chose not to give up nor give in. It is an example that I hope we can all learn from.”
Zoe Oduntun, shared her account of the day saying, “I appreciate being recognized for what I did on that day, but I have to say that my superheroes are the firefighters who came to our help, the Hospital staff who drove the ambulance and gave lifesaving support and also the doctors and nurses at the hospital who brought my father back to life. I also want to thank the two police officers who stayed with me and my brother and escorted us to the hospital so that we could see my father.”
Chief Fire Officer, Lloyd Burchall added, “I am in awe at the heroism demonstrated by these children, who took action and followed directions resulting in their father’s life being saved. It takes 27 weeks to train a firefighter, and the first time that those lessons are required to be put into action the pressure can be enormous. In that moment, you don’t know what to think, and the knowledge seems to pour out of your brain and you remember what needs to be done. The oldest child, Zoe, reacted with calm and focus, amazingly, without any training. These children, and this family, have set an amazing example for other members of our community.”
“During the occasion, Zoe and Eli were presented with gift certificates as an early Christmas present and for the parents the gift of free CPR classes. The emergency dispatch staff and EMT’s from the Bermuda Hospitals Board, who facilitated the emergency response, were also acknowledged and given letters of thanks for their invaluable contribution to the successful outcome.
Sgt. Gavin Carter in his closing remarks said, “Given everything that has taken place over the last few years, I think that we can all agree that this is the sort of good news that we need right now.”
Recalling the incident in question, Acting Lieutenant Justin Robinson said, “On Sunday, September 26th at approximately 6.15pm, I was the Officer In Charge of the Central Fire Appliance, which responded to a report of a near drowning victim, whose location we now know as the Oduntan family residence.
“Firefighters Alec Swan Jr, Amani Wears, Rossini Lawrence, and I were greeted at the residence by the family’s nine-year-old daughter, who took us to the pool area. We found Mr. Oduntan unresponsive, with no pulse, no breathing, and Mrs. Oduntan performing CPR with guidance from BFRS dispatch.
“The crew took over care and FF Wears and FF Lawrence performed advanced resuscitation. At approximately 6.25pm, the ambulance arrived with EMTs Dalton Stovell and Ronnie Aguire, who swiftly transferred Mr. Oduntan onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. Lifesaving interventions were continued with FF Amani Wears going in the ambulance to assist during transport to KEMH.
“Just prior to their arrival at KEMH, they advised that they got a pulse back and were doing rescue breathing. They arrived at KEMH at approximately 6.35pm. From that point, he was in the care of the KEMH’s ER and ICU teams.
“We now know the family to be the Oduntan family. Richard and his two children Zoe and Eli were swimming in the pool when Richard ran into difficulty and his children realized he was at the bottom of the pool not moving. Zoe tried unsuccessfully to get him to the surface by swimming down and pulling his arm. After a couple of attempts she went inside the house to alert their mom Yemi, who came outside.
“With her mom’s instruction, Zoe dived down and pulled her father by his shirt to the surface. Zoe then assisted her mom with pulling her father out of the pool. The family believes Mr. Oduntan was underwater and not breathing for approximately 4-6 mins.
“Mrs. Oduntan said that she didn’t know how to do CPR, but started doing something. They called 911 and with guidance from Emergency Medical Dispatchers Donna Hendrickson and Sherrie Lambert, Mrs. Oduntan did bystander CPR for approximately 12 minutes prior to our arrival.
“We as first responders attend many difficult calls for help from our community which test everything we are trained to do. Sometimes it is the people in the community who are heroic when faced with challenging situations.
“This is a perfect example of an extraordinary situation that relied on the family’s actions and commitment and all BFRS and KEMH personnel involved.
“We could not be more excited for such a positive outcome. Often our job is done when we pass the patient on with no word.
“Major credit must be given to this family for their immediate lifesaving efforts before turning over to the BFRS and KEMH personnel. The Oduntan family rallied together in Mr. Oduntan’s greatest time of need, beginning with his daughter Zoe’s efforts and Mrs. Oduntan laying the foundation with basic life support.
“The FFs and EMTs provided high quality CPR and swiftly transported him to KEMH. And the KEMH emergency department and ICU staff whose interventions and quality care allowed for the best possible outcome to happen. This is overall an amazing heartwarming story that the community should be inspired by.”
