Off-duty firefighter helps save drowning boy

By WEB STAFF

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    FAIRHAVEN, Massachusetts (WBZ) — An off-duty Fairhaven firefighter heard cries for help and jumped into action to help a young boy who was drowning.

Jesse Lacerda, who has been a firefighter for five years and paramedic for seven, was leaving his home to run errands Saturday when he heard a commotion.

“I heard someone yell ‘Call 911’ so I grabbed my radio, and ran across the street,” Lacerda told WBZ-TV.

Bystanders were performing CPR on a child, so Lacerda jumped a fence and took over. By the time the ambulance arrived, the boy had begun breathing.

The boy was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for further evaluation. His condition was not released.

“In this job, even if you’re off duty, you’re always on duty,” Lacerda said. “When I heard the (call for help), I do what I do and I ran over to see what was going on and see if anybody needed any help. When you see a child, it hits different than an adult. We do give 110% to everybody that we help out. A child is a little different. Adrenaline rush, heartrate starts pumping, and you do what you do. That’s what you’re trained to do.”

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