IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif.—An off-duty San Diego Sector Border Patrol agent rescued a two-year-old boy at a local community pool on Monday. The toddler already had sunk to the bottom of the pool and was lying motionless when the agent jumped into the water.
The event began while the agent and his family were enjoying family time at the pool. The agent’s daughter alerted her dad that there was a small child on the bottom of the pool. The agent responded quickly, jumped into the pool, and pulled the child out of the water. The child’s mother also had jumped into the pool, but was too distraught to initiate life-saving actions.
The agent, who is a certified Border Patrol Emergency Medical Technician, determined that the toddler was no longer breathing. However, he detected a pulse. He administered back blows and rescue-breathing techniques in order to clear the child’s lungs. When the child regained consciousness, the agent called 9-1-1, comforted the child, and controlled the scene at the public pool.
The responding Emergency Medical Service personnel later reported that, if not for the agent’s quick-thinking and actions, it was unlikely that the toddler would have survived.
