Firefighter saves son, 5, found face-down in pool

Josh McCoy used CPR training he’d been taught as a firefighter and was able to revive his son in 5 to 20 seconds

June 01, 2017 10:59 AM

By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — A volunteer firefighter in Lancaster County is being credited with saving the life of his 5-year-old son, after the boy slipped away from his family and nearly drowned in a backyard pool.

It happened shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday at a family birthday party in the Unity community, just south of the state line, reports the Lancaster News.

Josh McCoy told the News that the pool had been cleared of children, but Emmett slipped around and got back in the water without anyone seeing. McCoy’s sister found him floating face down and screamed for help, the Lancaster News reported.

The boy had stopped breathing. Josh McCoy used CPR training he’d been taught as a firefighter with the Heath Springs Volunteer Fire Department, and was able to revive his son in 5 to 20 seconds, it was reported.

Emmett was flown to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, where he was kept overnight for observation. Doctors released Emmett the next morning without any lasting damage from the loss of oxygen, the News reported.

“Honestly, my secondary training kicked in and,” Josh McCoy told the News, “with CPR and as a first-responder, you have to keep your head clear and deal with what’s in front of you...It’s scary to think about it now, but I’m relieved and thankful I had the training.”