Elmwood Park volunteer firefighter saves 4-year-old girl who nearly drowned

Keldy Ortiz | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Elmwood Park firefighter saves a drowning child Elmwood Park firefighter saves a drowning child

ELMWOOD PARK — Instead of a 911 call, the plea for help Sunday night came knocking on the door of 2nd Battalion Chief Robert Bruce.

His wife answered the door and screamed when their neighbor told her a girl was drowning in a backyard pool and had turned blue in the face. The 43-year-old firefighter rushed next door and saw the 4-year-old lying on the ground. Bruce then applied pressure to the girl’s chest.

“I saw some movement, so I rolled her to her side, so this way she can evacuate all the water that was in her lungs, which she did,” Bruce said. “She began to vomit profusely, and from that point, I cleared the airway … by that time the Police Department was there and I was able to give some oxygen to the child.”

Bruce didn’t have time to think about the life he just saved. The volunteer firefighter since 1995 was quickly called away to a 911 emergency in Clifton.

“The day after, I was an absolute mess. You really don’t know how to feel,” Bruce said outside the Grove Street firehouse Tuesday. “I was elated, obviously, that the child was OK. Everything is starting to sink in, so I’m just happy.”

As a father himself, Bruce called the experience the “absolute worst nightmare.”

Bill Shadwell, the borough’s fire chief, was proud of his colleague. When the time came to help someone, Shadwell said, Bruce’s training kicked in.

“Here’s a man at home who is a fire chief,” Shadwell said. “In a highly intense situation, he controlled the situation.”

In the days since the incident, Bruce has received phone calls and text messages from the community. He's set to receive an award for his actions from the mayor on July 19. Bruce appreciates the support from the community and hopes this incident can be a teachable moment.

One in five people who die from drowning are age 14 or younger, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the ways to prevent drowning, the CDC recommends that people learn CPR.

"This could happen in a blink of an eye," Bruce said. "Again, it was a small child. It could happen to the best of us. There's no fault with the parents or anybody else that was out there. It was just an unfortunate incident that had a happy ending."

As for being called a hero, Bruce said no.

"I just do what I'm trained to do," he said. "I do what I love to do. I love to help my community. I was just doing what I pledged to the town I would do."

Email: ortizk@northjersey.com

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