Virginian 12-year-old wins honor after saving his family from a fiery blaze

When Romir Parker’s home caught fire, he displayed more courage than what’s expected of a seventh grader. As the house fire quickly grew and spread, his first thought was to get his two younger brothers and his grandmother safely outside. This impressed the fire chief to the point that Romir wasn’t just given an honor for his bravery, but a job offer.

After hearing a strange noise from downstairs, Romir investigated and saw “black smoke throughout the house.” In spite of the danger, his first concern was his family. He immediately went into action and saved them from the flames.

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"It's my little brothers, I don't care. Cause the only thing that matters is I got my little brothers out of the house and my grandma," Romir said to CBS 6 News in Richmond, Virginia. "I picked both of them up. I grabbed them, they was on opposite ends of the couch. I grabbed them, I grabbed my two-year-old brother then I grabbed the one-year-old, cause the one-year-old is smaller, and I fitted them inside my arms and we ran outside the house.”

With his two little brothers in his arms, Romir helped guide his grandmother through the thick smoke to safety. While the fire department appeared within four minutes after being called, the fire had spread so quickly that there would have been deadly consequences had Romir not acted. Petersburg Fire Chief Wayne Hoover was blunt: "The bottom line, he saved his family's life."

To recognize Romir Parker’s bravery, the Petersburg City Council gave him an honorary proclamation for "demonstrating a level of bravery and presence of mind, well beyond his years." The fire department praised Romir on their social media and made him an honorary firefighter. While being an honorary firefighter is a symbolic gesture, Chief Hoover is hoping to make it official when Romir is older, saying, "When he turns 18, he's got a job with us.”

If you have young children, it might be a good idea to educate them on what to do if they notice a fire in the house like Romir did. While it shouldn’t be expected for children to be as heroic as Romir, some basic fire safety education could help your kids stay safe and get them out should an emergency occur.

The American Red Cross recommends that parents teach their kids what their smoke alarm sounds like and tell them the best paths to leave the house in case of a fire. Consider having fire drills once a month at your home, practice crawling on the floor away from rising smoke, and set a designated meeting spot outside so children and parents know where to find one another. While you’re doing your drill, teach and practice the “STOP, DROP, COVER, and ROLL” method so your kids know how to smother fire that catches on their clothing. Lastly, make sure your children know that if they notice a fire and you’re not around that they can call 9-1-1 for emergency services.

With basic fire safety training, you and your family can be as calm and collected as Romir was if something catches fire in your home. Taking proper safety precautions and acting in speed to get out of the house can help everyone be safer and allow the professional firefighters to do their jobs as effectively as possible.