The Captain's Daughter's Wedding

February 8, 1988

The crew of 2 Engine had just entered the church to attend the Captain’s daughter’s wedding when the call came in; possible drowning. The dispatcher repeated the address twice and we immediately responded to the location. As I turned into the field, I could see the Fort Worth FD personnel already in the water as their engine and ambulance sat idling. These were the guys from Station 27. They were in up to their shoulders, barely moving. I stopped, set the break and chocked the tires. Lt. Butler said” all right, let’s get in the water”.

The Fort Worth officer told us that a small child had slipped under. The boy’s father said it was in this area that he went in. I looked across the small body of water. It was actually an old gravel pit laced with an oily technicolor film with twisted rusted rebar projecting above the surface. I removed my boots and coat and went into the water. It immediately took my breath. The freezing water burned my body and I could barely move. Several of us attempted to dive under to search but physically couldn’t. I was starting to become numb. Dispatch had already contacted another department’s dive team but their arrival time would only be for recovery not rescue.

We needed another plan so we grabbed the pike poles from the truck; tools consisting of a long wooden poles with a dulled steel point and hook mounted at the end usually used for pulling down wall board during a structure fire. We started dredging the pond with three or four of these and quickly grabbed the back straps of the little overalls the boy was wearing. The limp child was raced to the nearby ambulance and attempts to save this life began. Several unsuccessful tries were made by the lead medic to intubate the boy so I began mouth to mouth breathing. The water from the boy’s stomach quickly filled my mouth. I spit it out and continued. There was a pulse...maybe we were in time. I stopped and the medic was now able to insert the breathing tube.

I left the ambulance and saw the medical helicopter landing near the road. I went to retrieve my boots and coat and watched as they loaded the boy into the chopper. It quickly ascended and was gone.

No one spoke… everyone collected their things, loaded up and we made it back just in time for the Captain’s daughter’s wedding.

Comments