By Jessie Forand
REDDING, Calif. — First responders working the Dixie Fire were off duty at their hotel when a scream pulled them back into professional mode.
A group of first responders reported hearing a woman scream after discovering her son, 10, was partially in the pool, unresponsive, CBS 13 reported.
“We jumped the fence, we don’t have time to use key cards,” Oakland Fire Department’s Jarred Neal told the news station.
LIFESAVING ENCOUNTER: A group of first responders assigned to #DixieFire staying at a Redding Hotel heard an anguished mother’s screams. They jumped into action, preventing a tragedy with quick-thinking actions. They’re grateful they were in the right place at the right time. pic.twitter.com/MRGJIWfnHG
— CAL FIRE Butte Unit/Butte County Fire Department (@CALFIRE_ButteCo) July 25, 2021
The child had water in his lungs and no pulse, a paramedic said. Responders performed CPR and the boy was transported to the hospital after resuming breathing.
When the child cried, Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District Paramedic Tom Schwedhelm said the EMTs let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s funny, as paramedics you know when kids cry that’s good, it means they have an airway,” he said.
Neal, who said he has four children of his own, explained, “It’s hard not to look at a kid and go, ‘Hey, you know, it could be my kid.’”
The off-duty responders had been assigned to battle the Dixie Fire, which has consumed nearly 200,000 acres.