First responders saved a teenage boy from drowning Saturday at the Ammon City (Idaho) Swimming Pool in McCowin Park.
According to East Idaho News, the incident happened around 3 p.m. during Ammon Days.
The boy was pulled from the pool by lifeguards, and firefighters from nearby Bonneville who were servicing first aid stations for Ammon Days initiated CPR and continued until Idaho Falls Fire Department EMS arrived to treat the boy.
The teen was driven by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. He remains at the hospital, and his condition is currently unknown.
“The city is incredibly grateful for first responders including lifeguards, firefighters, deputies, and paramedics who all performed needed duties in a time of extreme stress. Medical response plans had been put into place during the planning of the annual Ammon Days event and IFFD, BCFD, and BCSO worked together to provide traffic and crowd control and attend to the situation promptly,” the city of Ammon said in a statement.
Bonneville County Fire District 1 deputy chief Keith Banda said firefighters were on the scene quickly due to the Ammon Days event because it had two first aid stations. However, he also offered a reminder on the importance of knowing CPR.
“(We) remind everyone to get CPR certified and if you already are trained, maintain your training because you never know when it will be needed. This time, firefighters were on scene, but most other times, first responders are not there to give immediate assistance and that’s what gives someone the best chance at surviving a cardiac arrest,” Banda said.
