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9-year-old Iowa Girl Scout honored for saving family from house fire
Khloe Keeling used fire-safety lessons learned in her Girl Scout troop to wake her parents and help six pets escape their burning central Iowa home.
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Nine-year-old Khloe Keeling of Iowa, a member of Girl Scout Troop 563, received the Bronze Cross for helping save her family during a devastating house fire six months ago.
The Bronze Cross, introduced in 1913, is one of the Girl Scouts’ highest honors. It recognizes scouts whose actions are essential in saving or attempting to save a life. Organizers said Khloe is only the 25th person to receive the rare national award.
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“These awards and honors honor Girl Scouts all across the country whose actions are essential in saving or attempting to save human lives,” says Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa CEO, Beth Shelton. “They recognize girls who remain calm in extraordinary circumstances.”
The fire broke out in the middle of the night at Khloe’s home in Batavia, Iowa. As smoke spread through the house, she woke her sleeping parents and helped bring the family’s six pets to safety.
“At first, it was like — weirdly, I was weirdly calm,” Khloe said.
Her mother, Niki Whitney, said Khloe quickly began giving instructions.
“She was like, ‘Grab Bandit. Do this. Do that,’” Whitney said. “I can’t even tell you what all she said because we just did it. We filed out, and as we were filing out, then the alarms started going off.”
The family lost everything in the fire. They are living in an RV in their driveway while their home is rebuilt.
Khloe said she knew what to do because of a fire-safety lesson taught during a troop visit by Saylor Fire Department firefighter John Kerr.
“To actually remember something that was taught, it blows me away,” Kerr said. “It shows that educating your children about these types of situations is very important.”
Khloe’s original Girl Scout sash burned in the fire, so the Bronze Cross was pinned to a new one during a ceremony attended by her troop and family.
“I’m always so proud of her,” Whitney said. “She’s always been an amazing kid, but she saved us. We’re here because she’s amazing.”
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