JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Firefighters responding to a home call found a 3-year-old girl unresponsive, and, instead of waiting for an ambulance, rushed the child to a hospital in a fire truck themselves.
NJ.com reported that when Jersey City firefighters arrived on Tuesday, April 6, the girl had no pulse and was not breathing.
“It was a life and death situation and the firefighters took the unusual step of bringing the child to the hospital themselves,” said Fire Director Armando Roman.
NJ.com reported that the girl’s parents were at the hospital and told Medical Spokesman Mark Rabson that she was suffering from respiratory distress. A neighbor said the girl had been eating candy, suggesting she had choked, according to NJ.com.
Roman said the actions of his firefighters, who also performed CPR on the way to the hospital, played a large part in the fight to save the girl’s life.
“I give them kudos for their presence of mind, seeing this child was in danger of losing her life,” Roman said. “They took the initiative to bring her directly to hospital and I congratulate their judgment and their actions.”