By GvilleTX Newsroom
Southmayd Police Officer Scott Barrett was recognized by the city this month after the department said he helped save a 23-month-old child who had stopped breathing during a choking emergency in Southmayd. The Southmayd City Council agenda for Tuesday, Aug. 18, listed Barrett for a “Lifesaving Award”; public city records reviewed by GvilleTX verify one listed Barrett award, not three separate awards for him.
According to a July 21 Southmayd Police press release, Barrett was dispatched at about 12:50 a.m. to a medical emergency involving a toddler reported to be choking and no longer breathing. The department said Barrett took custody of the unconscious child and used age-appropriate back blows until she began breathing again.
Whitesboro EMS transported the child for evaluation, Southmayd Police said. The department later described the child as awake, alert, conscious and stable, and said she was expected to recover fully and was back home later that day.
The City of Southmayd lists Barrett as a Southmayd Police Department officer. His city officer profile says he has more than 20 years in law enforcement, holds a Master Peace Officer certification and is recognized as a Field Training Officer.
The response drew on the local emergency system serving Southmayd and the surrounding Texoma area. Southmayd’s emergency-services page identifies police and fire as the city’s two main emergency services and tells residents to call 911 during emergencies. The city’s police page lists Grayson County Dispatch for non-emergency officer dispatch.
Whitesboro Fire Department says its EMS district includes Southmayd. Whitesboro’s official fire operations page says the department has EMS and fire divisions, and that EMS staffs two MICU ambulances around the clock.
Training was part of Southmayd Police’s account of the outcome. The department credited CPR and emergency lifesaving instruction provided the previous week by the Southmayd Fire Department as contributing to the child’s survival. Texas Commission on Law Enforcement records also place emergency training within routine police work: TCOLE’s handbook says Texas peace officers must complete continuing education every two years, and its course list includes CPR as a reportable law-enforcement course.
City budget records show Southmayd’s proposed FY 2025-2026 law-enforcement training line is about double the amount listed in the prior budget. At its July 21 meeting later that day, the council agenda also included possible action on switching dispatch services from Grayson County to an interlocal agreement with Whitesboro.
The CDC says young children face choking risks in part because they have smaller airways and are still developing chewing skills. In a national analysis of 2001 emergency-department data, the agency estimated more than 17,000 U.S. children under 14 were treated for choking-related episodes; the CDC says its analysis does not provide state or local estimates. The agency advises caregivers to ask a child’s doctor or nurse what to do if a child chokes.
_Editor's note: Everyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law._
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