It was the kind of idyllic scene that could open a movie: three young boys strolling down a sidewalk, with a dog curled up on a nearby front porch.
Oklahoma Natural Gas service technician William Scott noticed it as he drove down the street that afternoon to his next order. Then, as he was walking to the meter at the back of the house, tools in hand, the scene changed.
Screams suddenly pierced the air, and he turned to see the three boys—all 11 to 13 years old—tearing down the street, and the dog, a pit bull, in flat-out pursuit.
The two older boys were fast enough to jump to safety in the bed of Scott’s service truck. The third couldn’t make it: Just shy of the truck’s rear gate, the dog dragged him down. Screaming, the boy curled up, his arms over his face, as the snarling dog latched on to one arm.
“He was maybe 85 pounds soaking wet … and the dog was mauling his arm,” said Scott, who jumped into action. “I ran over there with my pipe wrench in one hand and my adjustable wrench in the other. I had the pipe wrench reared up—in case I’d need to hit the dog—when it ran off.”
Scott quickly grabbed paper towels and a first-aid kit from his truck, applying pressure to the boy’s arm while calling emergency medical services. Thankfully, while the bites were puncture wounds, the boy didn’t need stitches.
As a crowd gathered, tensions were high, and Scott had to jump into action again when the dog returned to charge at another child.
Scott credits his background as a prison guard for his ability to stay calm under pressure and his first-aid skills. Oklahoma Natural Gas’ parent company ONE Gas also offers first aid/CPR/automated external defibrillator training annually across the organization. “After everything was over,” he said, “all the kids gave me a hug and said, ‘Thank you so much.’ And the father shook my hand and said he was glad I was there.”
“Our priority is the protection of life, then property,” said Jim Jarrett, vice president of operations for Oklahoma Natural Gas. “William took this well beyond his everyday role in customer service when he intervened on behalf of this young kid who was in danger. His immediate and subsequent actions exemplify our No. 1 core value of safety.”
