Boy Rescued Near Belle Isle
The city sent out a press release reminding folks to obey river regulations on Thursday and on Saturday a group of people had to form a human chain including several firefighters near Belle Isle to rescue a Chesterfield 12 year old boy.
Richmond Fire Captain Mike Martin said Joshua Tirado was bodysurfing between the rocks on the western tip of the isle around 6 p.m. Saturday when his foot got stuck. Though the water was not deep, the current was swift and would intermittently swallow him up and send him under water.
When they saw the child struggle, everyone in the vicinity dropped what they were doing and sprang into action.
“He was bobbing up and down,” said Martin. “They all came to his assistance.”
Martin said those nearby formed a human chain, but it was still too short to reach Joshua, who would go under, then surface and spit out the water that rushed over him. Minutes later, two firefighters arrived and scrambled out to the end of the chain but were still short. Shortly after, two more firefighters arrived and linked to the end of the chain and grabbed the child.
From the city press release;
In addition to obeying the water level regulations, here are some other measures the department recommends people take to be safe at the river:
- If you can’t swim – just don’t go in.
- Never go in the water when you are alone.
- When visiting the river, let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.
- Pay attention to your surroundings. Water levels and conditions can change VERY quickly.
- Always wear shoes in the river.
- Be aware that the river bottom is uneven and may drop off suddenly and that the rocks can be slippery.
- Always have young children wear life jackets.
- Don’t overestimate your skills. Even the strongest swimmers and most experienced boaters can and have experienced difficulty.
Apparently this rescue was just as dramatic as it sounds. There were loads of people on the rocks who dropped what they were doing to help, and your Station 17 B-shift firefighters made the rescue. Great job, guys!
everyone who helped save this kid is a hero. Be careful out there, the James river is a murderer
It was a miracle, but the facts are wrong. I was there and unfortunately was unable to help due to my small size, but myself and other onlookers yelled words of encouragement to the boy to hang on while at least 20 civilians kept trying to pull him from under the rock. It took at least 20 minutes of them trying to save the little boy before one fire fighter showed up and immediately ran out to help. Then 2 cops slowly walked to the scene and actually yelled at people who were helping to get out of the way. Then 2 more EMT’s showed up. At the end, the boy was actually saved by a civilian(a marine I believe), whom one of my friends that was one of the people trying to save the boy described as a fish, and the fire fighter ….the civilian would get swept down, and then swim back up very quickly past the others who had attempted and failed and try again. Bottom line, the boy was saved and it was a wonderful miracle, but really the true heroes were the civilians who would not give up. I believe the boy held on as long as he did because he saw that so many people wanted him to live.
It was less than eighteen minutes from the time the call was received to rescue, which includes the calltaker getting the information, the dispatch, and the people getting on the trucks, driving to the general area, and finding the victim. Time is fluid when you’re in the middle of an emergency. Also, there was no doubt whatsoever that the main reason the boy survived was the quick response from the people around him when he got stuck.