A Southern California firefighter was, fortunately, able to save his one-year-old son from drowning in a pool on Tuesday, May 16th, when the young child got out of his floatation device and got into the pool. The young boy, Cole, was too young to have learned how to swim and so would have drowned quickly, but his father was able to save him.
The 40-second video released by The Hemet Firefighters Association, Local 2342, shows the 1-year-old boy first waddling around the pool and then, eventually, jumping in. As soon as the boy gets in the water, Petite swiftly jumps on the ground and gets his son out, laying him on his back.
The Hemet Firefighters Association, Local 2342, shared a video on social media, asking parents to pay close attention to how quickly children can drown. The caption of the video, posted as a reel on Facebook, said, “Please watch this 40 second Ring video which captured the near drowning of a 1 year old on Tuesday 5/16/23. This occurred at the home of one our very own Hemet Firefighters, the 1 year old boy is heland his wife’s youngest child. This video is a sobering reminder that a child drowning can happen to anyone at anytime in a matter of seconds Even though both parents took all the proper precautions including a gate around the pool and an appropriate PFD, the boy still managed to get in the water. Dad only had his back turned for a few seconds. Thankfully he quickly recognized what occurred and was able to save his son. Remember, children drown without a sound, please watch the water. #hffa2342“
Watch the video here:
Speaking to KTLA about the incident, the firefighter said, “I look over and I can’t find him and I ended [up] seeing him sinking to the bottom of the pool. So that’s when I went over there, scooped him out and got him out of the pool. For parents out there, if you got a pool, make sure it has a gate, a child safety lock, door alarms.”
Hemet Fire Chief Eddie Sell added, “Zach was right there. He was literally within arm’s reach. He followed all the rules, he took all of the proper precautions, that is really the reason why his son lived.”
“We can’t stress it enough, it happened to engineer Petite and it can happen to anyone. Seconds do count.“
The association also posted the video on Instagram with the same caption. One viewer, commenting on it, said, “My son, now 17, is a near drowning survivor at age 1 (2007)! This can happen to anyone. I used to be the “where were the parents” when these things happened; until it happened to me. It’s that quick and yes, that silent! The only sure saving grace is never turning your back or taking your eyes off them while around or in the water no matter what! All precautions are great but if you’re not watching them around water and yes even a bath, you’re at risk! My heart still breaks that it even happened. One more second could have been a devastating outcome to my child’s life. We are considered the lucky ones. When the FD arrived they even called me a hero and I couldn’t understand it at that time because of the horrible guilt of him even falling in the pool in the first place! Immediately I had a new found water awareness that I will never forget or stop sharing with everyone! Way to act fast dad! 🙌❤️”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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