Quick thinking and CPR training saves child’s life

On Aug. 3 at the regularly scheduled South Walton Fire District (SWFD) meeting a local mother of four was recognized by the South Walton Fire District for saving the life of a 3 year old child that was drowning in a pool.

On June 29, 2010, the SWFD responded to a drowning call at Camp Watercolor. Laura Trudey, was in the pool enjoying the water with her 4 young children, when she noticed a young boy floating face down in the water. Mrs. Trudey immediately pulled the child from the water; the child was blue and not breathing. Without delay Mrs. Trudey began performing CPR on the child, after five cycles of CPR the child began to breathe on his own. Upon arrival on-scene, the SWFD crew found the child sitting up and crying for his mother.

In submitting his report for consideration of a Lifesaving Award, Sergeant Shawn Hutchins, attending Paramedic, stated, “It is my opinion that this child is alive today only because of the quick thinking and reaction of this great citizen.”

This story has a happy ending only because Mrs. Trudey took the time to learn CPR and was able to quickly put her knowledge and skills to use. The SWFD encourages all members of our community to learn how to perform CPR. You can never tell when a medical emergency will happen and it feels good to know that you could help.

The SWFD offers CPR courses on a continuous basis to the public.

For more information about CPR courses and how to sign up for them contact the SWFD at info@swfd.org of call 267-1298.