Landon Oetterer has been learning some steps to take in an emergency.
But it was the quick thinking of the 3-year-old Union boy that helped save his mother’s life after she had an allergic reaction to fruit Tuesday.
Landon’s father Dwayne Oetterer, 26, is a volunteer firefighter and was attending fire classes at the Union Fire Protection District House No. 1, when he received text messages from his wife Christina, 27, that stated she had eaten a kiwi and was “feeling funny.”
Dwayne Oetterer said that the mother of two small boys has some allergies and took note of the incident.
It was when Landon called his father from the family home off Rock Road, Union, that Dwayne became alarmed.
“Two minutes later my son got hold of a phone,” Dwayne said. “He called me and said, “Daddy, Mommy is not breathing right. I darted out of the firehouse and called 911.”
Oetterer further explained that he and a friend rode together to the fire training. They both left training for Oetterer’s home.
“She was breathing but really difficultly,” he said. “Thanks to my son, we were able to get her help and it all turned out OK.”
In hindsight, Oetterer said he should have mentioned something while at fire training, but his main concern was the safety of his family.
“It was kind of an error on my part,” he said. “I should have told someone (at the firehouse) where there were EMTs, but when I heard my son I just knew I had to get home.”
Oetterer said a Union Ambulance crew arrived at his home shortly after he had walked through the door.
“It was definitely a great response time,” he said.
Not only did Landon call his father for help, but also kept an eye on his 8-month-old brother Liam.
“He tried to keep his baby brother over by Mom,” Oetterer said. “It was probably two minutes from the time I got the phone call to the time I got there and he was trying to take care of him (Liam).”
Landon’s mother had been working with the boy and teaching him safety techniques, including how to “stop, drop and roll.”
Dwayne added that he isn’t surprised of how well Landon reacted to the situation.
“He knows how to call me and my wife has been working with him on things to do in case of an emergency,” he said. “After she went down, he said and did what he was taught to do.”
Christina was taken to Mercy Hospital Washington where she had blood drawn, an X-ray and was diagnosed with allergic reaction and panic attack. The panic attack likely was caused by the allergic reaction, Dwayne added.
He added that Christina has had allergic reactions in the past, but normally breaks into hives. This time her airway was blocked.
Oetterer is now working toward fire certification, which is required after volunteering with the district for more than a year. His goal is to become a professional firefighter.
