Local Boy Honored for Calling 911

WMBD/WYZZ TV - PEORIA -- An eight-year-old boy is deemed a hero when his neighbor's house catches fire.

Wednesday morning, Jaylon Jones, who is a student at Tyng Primary School, was honored for calling for help when he saw flames coming from his neighbor's home on April 25th. To celebrate his heroic effort, Peoria firefighters from Station 4, who knocked down the fire, presented Jaylon with an award and thanked him for a job well done.

When asked why Jaylon felt the need to run for help he said, "To help the town." And when asked if he was scared, he just shook his head and said, "The man left his generator on."

Jaylon's mother, Johnna Shinkle says she couldn't be more proud of her son and the firefighters, "I was pretty proud of him. I was very proud of the fire department because even after putting out the fire and making sure everything was safe, they actually stopped, took pictures with Jaylon and they thanked him."

Shinkle says it's important that children are aware of what's going on around them and that they know at a young age the importance of calling 911. And she says when Jaylon gets a little older she plans on enrolling him in CPR classes.