St. Petersburg, Florida — A Tampa Bay elementary school cafeteria manager is being recognized after rushing to save a 5-year-old student who began choking during the lunch rush. Jacob Moss, the food and nutrition manager at Lynch Elementary School, relied on life-saving training he learned more than 25 years ago to help the kindergartner breathe again.
The incident happened last Wednesday at the St. Petersburg school while students were eating lunch.
Moss was finishing his work in the kitchen when a call for help came over his radio. A young student, Byron King, had been eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when he suddenly began choking.
Kindergartner Runs Toward Trash Can
Byron said he realized something was wrong while eating and ran toward a nearby trash can because he felt as though he was going to throw up.
“I got some of it out, but some of it stayed in my mouth,” King said.
A school volunteer noticed the boy bent over the garbage can and immediately alerted a cafeteria monitor.
The monitor called for help over the school’s radio, prompting Moss to leave the kitchen and rush toward the student.
By the time he arrived, a teacher who had worked at the school the previous year was already beside Byron, helping him and patting him on the back.
Moss quickly recognized that the boy needed more assistance.
Cafeteria Manager Uses Heimlich Maneuver
Moss moved behind Byron and performed the Heimlich maneuver approximately four or five times. He said he quickly noticed that material came up and the student was able to breathe again.
“I noticed that there was a child that was bent over a garbage can,” Moss recalled. “So, I immediately rushed up behind. There was a teacher that worked here last year next to him and was basically just helping him and was patting him on the back. So, I went ahead and immediately came behind him and gave him the Heimlich maneuver about four or five times and noticed stuff came up and he started to breathe. I waited for a couple moments to let him catch his breath.”
After Byron was breathing again, Moss called 911. Paramedics arrived at the school and evaluated the young student. Byron was ultimately OK following the frightening incident.
Training From Boy Scouts Helped in Emergency
Moss said his ability to react quickly came from training he received more than 25 years ago while participating in the Boy Scouts.
Although decades had passed since he learned the technique, he was able to rely on that training when the emergency unfolded directly in front of him.
Pinellas County Schools later recognized Moss with a PCS Praise Certificate for his actions. Moss, however, said the rescue was not something he considers extraordinary.
Moss Credits the Entire School Team
Moss emphasized that the response involved more than one person.
The volunteer who first noticed Byron, the cafeteria monitor who called for help, the staff members already assisting the student and Moss all played roles in the quick response.
He also encouraged other people to learn emergency skills such as CPR and the Heimlich maneuver, saying those abilities can make a difference when someone suddenly needs help.
“I’m just an everyday person doing the job. I just happened to be there at the right moment,” he said. “I just happened to be the person that did it, but anybody else who was in that situation would have hopefully done the exact same,” Moss said.
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The incident also served as a reminder of how quickly a normal school lunch can turn into an emergency and how important it can be for staff members to know what to do.
Grateful Student Has a Message for Moss
For Byron, the experience ended with a simple message for the man who helped him. During a reunion Thursday, the kindergartner had the opportunity to see Moss again and personally thank him.
“Thank you, Mr. Moss, for helping me,” he told him.
The brief message captured the gratitude surrounding the incident as Moss was recognized for stepping in when a young student needed immediate assistance.
What do you think about the quick response from the Lynch Elementary School staff? Share your thoughts in the comments and let us know how important you think basic life-saving training is in schools and public places.
