PITTSBURGH — On New Year's Day, 9-year-old Shivansh's quick thinking during an oven fire in his home, aided by fire safety education from the Mount Lebanon Fire Department, prevented a potential disaster.
"My mom was making pizza, and then she yelled that there's a fire. I told my dad to pull the fire alarm and call 911," Shivansh said.
He made sure that everyone evacuated from the building, a decisive action that stopped the fire from becoming catastrophic, according to the Mount Lebanon Fire Department.
"Kind of like, I can do it," Shivansh said.
The department highlighted its 30-year partnership in teaching fire life safety to elementary schools.
"We're very fortunate that we have this partnership and we're able to get these lessons. Being able to prevent that from happening, knowing our kids know what to do so that they can help themselves, that's fantastic," said Kristopher Siegert, lieutenant and fire life safety educator at the Mount Lebanon Fire Department.
Shivansh sent a message to others, saying, "You can be a hero if you listen in class."
He also shared, "You can buy stuff at any time, but you can't (buy life), life is priceless."
Last Tuesday, the Mount Lebanon Fire Department recognized Shivansh's efforts with a ceremony, a golden fire truck, and a truck ride.
