BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FLORENCE - Austin Smith was playing with a friend when he heard his grandmother choking on a peanut butter sandwich Aug. 14.
Austin asked his grandmother, Corrine Kautzman, if she was OK. Gasping for air, she shook her head no, and signaled for Austin to call 911.
Austin followed directions, and within minutes, paramedics and emergency fire personnel arrived at his Saratoga Way home and aided Mrs. Kautzman.
For his heroic actions, Austin, now 7, will be recognized at today's meeting of Florence City Council at 7:30 p.m. Don Kiely, emergency services manager for Cincinnati Bell, will present to the second-grader at Blessed Sacrament in Fort Mitchell a certificate and a shirt recognizing him as a 911 Hero.
Mrs. Kautzman, 74, said Monday she vividly remembers that summer day when her daughter, Cindy Smith, asked her to baby-sit Austin and his friend, Casey Rebilas, 8.
"I was really pretty frightened, because I knew I was in big trouble. I thought that this was it," said Mrs. Kautzman, who along with her husband, Louis, moved to Florence in June.
Mrs. Kautzman recalls that Austin originally told dispatchers that she was having a heart attack. "He just came through, as scared as he was," she said.
Now, whenever she coughs, he asks her if she's OK.
Austin said his grandmother told him "she really appreciated" what he did for her. "She said she loves me, too," he said.
Austin will be the first recipient of the "911 Hero Award." "Recognizing children that know how to use 911 in emergency situations not only rewards that individual child, but will help teach children how to respond in similar situations," Mr. Kiely said. "The biggest thing here is education, getting (children) to use the program."
Ken Schneider, director of communications for Boone County Public Safety Communication Center, said: "One incident like this makes everything worthwhile. The young man did an outstanding job. In this case, the entire system worked."
Austin said he's excited about receiving the award tonight. "It makes me feel really happy."
