Firefighters use saws and soap to free girl whose finger was stuck under water at pool
She was in the shallow end, firefighters said, where the depth is about four feet, on the tips of her toes to keep her head above water.
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Beacon firefighters shared details with News 12 on Wednesday about a high-drama rescue at the Beacon High School pool, where they freed a 10-year-old girl who had her finger stuck underwater.
Firefighters responded to the pool on Tuesday afternoon to find the sixth-grader had her left middle finger stuck in one of the pool's jets.
She was in the shallow end, firefighters said, where the depth is about four feet, on the tips of her toes to keep her head above water.
Firefighter Danny Burke knew the exact tools to bring, though the department had never previously performed a rescue quite like this one.
"When you think of pool jets, you think of little round ones at a residential pool," he said in an interview Wednesday morning at the fire department. "This was an Olympic-size pool. It's a large stainless-steel channel."
The firefighters covered the girl with a blanket and covered her ears to protect her from the noise and pieces of metal while they sawed through the side of the pool. They even had to channel water out of the pool so their tools would work.
Water drafting, the chief said, is a task the department rarely does, but just before the call came in Tuesday, they had just completed drafting training and then executed well at the scene.
In the midst of the commotion, firefighter Dan Wysocki was just holding the girl up, talking to her about life.
"We spoke about what grade she was in," Wyosocki said, "Who her teachers were, anything that would get her mind off the situation. She was a trooper."
Once the firefighters were able to actually see her finger, they used dish soap and spoon-like metal tools to slide it out.
They then wrapped the girl in a blanket to help avoid hypothermia, and she was taken to the hospital.
"It's something to look back on," Burke said. "It was a unique rescue and it was something very cool to be a part of."
Burke said the girl — and her finger — are expected to be fine, though the pool will need repairs.
News 12 has reached out to the school district multiple times seeking comment for this story, and is awaiting a response.
