Three awards for the Southmayd officer who cleared a toddler's airway

A Southmayd police officer received three awards Tuesday night for saving a child's life, the Southmayd Fire Department said in an official post. The Southmayd Police Department said the officer, Scott Barrett, cleared the airway of a 23-month-old on an overnight call in July at a home in town.

Police said Barrett was dispatched at about 12:50 a.m. on July 21 to a Southmayd residence for a 23-month-old child reported choking and not breathing. He took custody of the child and gave back blows sized to her age to clear what the department called a suspected airway obstruction, according to the police press release. The child was crying and breathing before Whitesboro EMS transported her to Texoma Medical Center.

Police said Barrett later checked on the child at Texoma Medical Center. She was awake, alert and stable, the department said, and was expected to recover fully.

One of the three honors was a Life-Saving Award, the police department said in its own recognition post, which cited his actions and his dedication to protecting others. The City of Southmayd lists Barrett as a police officer, and the city's officer profile credits him with more than 20 years in law enforcement and a Master Peace Officer certification.

Police also credited recent CPR and emergency lifesaving recertification by the Southmayd Fire Department as one factor in the outcome. The city announced June 24 that Alan Meek became Southmayd fire chief, saying Meek had served more than 23 years with the Whitesboro Fire Department and is certified as an EMT by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The fire department has since promoted a community CPR class, telling residents a cardiac arrest can happen at home, at work or at a ball game.

The American Heart Association's 2025 guidelines statement said respiratory emergencies or asphyxia account for more than 9% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests among adults in the United States and 39% among children. The association's 2025 choking guidance and the American Red Cross both begin the response for a conscious child with five back blows.

The ambulance came from the next town. Whitesboro Fire Rescue says its EMS district takes in the Southmayd fire district and that it staffs two MICU ambulances around the clock, a service it has been licensed to provide since October 2022. Southmayd's current budget carries an ambulance subsidy of about $28,000. Recent council agendas in both cities listed possible action on shared public safety services. Southmayd's July 21 agenda covered moving dispatch from Grayson County to Whitesboro, with the yearly cost split evenly between the police and fire departments. Whitesboro's Aug. 11 agenda covered an interlocal agreement with Southmayd for dispatch and temporary holding services.

Grayson County has grown faster than the state since 2020, about 13 percent against roughly 9 percent, Census Bureau QuickFacts shows. Southmayd's emergency services page tells residents to call 911 in an emergency and Grayson County Dispatch at 903-813-4408 for non-emergency officer dispatch.