National 911 Award Presented to Kansas City Area Teens

Pictured left to right: George Rice – NG911 Institute Board, Gail and Mark Johnson, Seth Johnson, Claire Johnson, John Bryant – GeoComm President and CEO, Wesley Wright – NG911 Institute Executive Director

Johnson County Emergency Management & Communications joins the Mid-America Regional Council and GeoComm in congratulating the winners of the NG911 Institute’s Citizen in Action award. Claire and Seth Johnson, from Overland Park, were announced as the recipients of the Citizen in Action award at the 17th Annual 911 Honor Awards in Washington D.C. on Feb. 12. The Citizen in Action award recognizes an individual(‘s) efforts where there was exceptional bravery and heroism demonstrated while utilizing 911 during an emergency.

The nomination described how Seth and Claire called 911 during the winter of 2019 when their father, Mark Johnson, suddenly went into cardiac arrest. Claire placed the 911 call and a telecommunicator from the Johnson County Emergency Management & Communications Center instructed Seth and Claire to begin CPR. Seth had learned CPR at school less than two weeks before, and Claire had also learned CPR in school and when she was a lifeguard. The teens took turns doing CPR, carefully following instructors from the 911 telecommunicator, until paramedics arrived.

“Seth and Claire’s efforts, along with the 911 staff and emergency response system in the greater Kansas City metropolitan region, ultimately saved Mark Johnson’s life,” said John Bryant, President/CEO of GeoComm. “GeoComm congratulates everyone involved with this 911 response and is thrilled to be part of the NG911 Institute’s event that honors and recognizes Seth and Claire for their quick thinking, brave, and heroic actions.”

About Johnson County Emergency Management & Communications

Johnson County Emergency Management & Communications manages the countywide emergency communications systems and dispatch services for Fire and EMS. The Emergency Communications Center is responsible for the processing of emergency and non-emergency calls for fire and medical assistance. The ECC serves all nine fire departments in Johnson County as well as the countywide ambulance service, Johnson County Med-Act. In addition, the center provides EMS dispatching services for Miami County.

About Mid-America Regional Council 911 Program

The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) has coordinated 911 services in the Kansas City region since 1983 and serves as the coordinating agency for an 11-county area which handles almost two million emergency calls each year. The regional system is coordinated through a number of committees and task forces comprised of representatives of local governments. The system is served by 45 public safety answering points (PSAPs) operated by government agencies.