Fairmont Ninth Grader Carter Simmering Had Never Learned the Heimlich, but When His Twin Brother Choked in the Cafeteria, He Saved Him

FAIRMONT, Minn., Oct. 8 — Carter Simmering, a ninth grader at Fairmont Senior High School, had no first-aid training when his twin brother, Grant, began choking in the school cafeteria. Carter performed the Heimlich maneuver anyway, and on Monday, Oct. 26, the City of Fairmont recognized him for it, according to KEYC News Now. The Fairmont Police Department gave him its Lifesaving Award.

What happened in the cafeteria on Oct. 8

Grant Simmering started choking while the twins were in the cafeteria of Fairmont Senior High School on Oct. 8, 2026, KEYC reported. Carter, who is in ninth grade, stepped in and performed the Heimlich maneuver on his brother.

Carter had not been trained to do it. KEYC reported that he had no prior first-aid training, and that he had only seen the technique before in the way many people have, on screen.

Grant later described how it felt in the moment. It was frightening at first, he told KEYC, but once someone came to help, he realized he was safe.

Carter Simmering said he “just did it”

Asked how he knew what to do, Carter pointed to television. He told KEYC he thought he had seen it on shows and “just did it.”

His mother, Angie Simmering, teaches reading and writing in the school’s special education program. She told KEYC she is incredibly proud of Carter for his “quick thinking and taking action.”

She also hopes her son’s actions will encourage other students to learn first aid, KEYC reported. South Central Minnesota EMS recommends the American Heart Association’s guidance on helping someone who is choking, according to the same report.

How the city and police honored him

The honor came on Monday, Oct. 26, nearly three weeks after the cafeteria rescue, and KEYC’s Evan Berg reported it on Oct. 28, 2026. KEYC reported that the City of Fairmont honored Carter, and that the Fairmont Police Department gave him its Lifesaving Award along with a department challenge coin.

KEYC’s report did not name individual officials. The outcome it describes is the one that matters to the family: Grant said he realized he was safe once help came, and Carter was the one who came.

What first aid for a choking child involves

Choking guidance from medical groups starts with recognizing it. KidsHealth says a child who is choking and needs help right away may be unable to breathe, gasping or wheezing, unable to talk, cry or make noise, turning blue, grabbing at the throat, or appearing panicked. A child who is coughing but can still breathe and talk should be watched closely and not pounded on the back or have fingers put in the mouth, since that could push the object farther down.

MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, gives the first step as asking the person whether he or she is choking and can speak. If the person is coughing forcefully and can speak, it says not to intervene, since a strong cough can often clear the object. If the person cannot speak or is struggling to breathe, abdominal thrusts follow: kneel behind a child, make a fist with the thumb side in just above the navel, grasp it with the other hand, and give quick upward and inward thrusts. Five thrusts, then a check to see whether the object came out, then repeat as needed.

The Mayo Clinic uses similar steps for an adult or a child over 1 and says gentler pressure should be used on a child to avoid injuring internal organs. For a child, it says to kneel behind the child with one foot slightly ahead of the other for balance, wrap both arms around the waist, and tip the child slightly forward. Mayo also advises giving five back blows first, alternating with five thrusts, though it says back blows are optional for someone who has not been trained in them.

The University of Michigan Health system says to repeat the thrusts until the object comes out or the person coughs or speaks, or until the person becomes unresponsive. If that happens, it says to call for help and begin CPR if trained.

On when to call 911, the sources vary slightly. KidsHealth says to call 911 for any serious choking situation, or have someone nearby call right away. Mayo says a lone rescuer can give back blows and thrusts first and then call, while a second person should call as the first gives first aid. Infants under 1 need different instructions, MedlinePlus notes, because most experts do not recommend abdominal thrusts for them.

The signs are not always obvious in a crowded room. Mayo lists hands clutched to the throat, panic or confusion, inability to talk, strained or noisy breathing, weak or forceful coughing, blue or gray skin, lips or nails, and loss of consciousness among them. Chest thrusts replace abdominal thrusts for a person who is pregnant or obese, MedlinePlus says, and a person who is alone can give thrusts to himself or herself against a chair back, sink edge or railing, according to University of Michigan Health.

When a person goes limp, the instructions change. MedlinePlus says abdominal thrusts are for people who are conscious, and chest compressions are for those who are not. KidsHealth, for its part, recommends learning the technique in a first-aid course instead of relying on a written description. Carter’s rescue, by his own account, came without one, and the police award recognizes that he acted anyway.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Tearuss – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons (John Handley High School cafeteria, a generic school cafeteria image)