Crime & Safety

Girl, 3, Reunites With Valley Firefighters Who Saved Her From Drowning

The 3-year-old girl had no pulse and wasn't breathing when firefighters arrived.

LOS ANGELES, CA — A 3-year-old girl who was found without a pulse and not breathing after being pulled from a San Fernando Valley swimming pool in May reunited Tuesday with the firefighters who saved her life.

The girl, identified as Keira, joined her parents at a Los Angeles Fire Department ceremony Tuesday honoring seven members of Fire Station 86 in Studio City for their lifesaving efforts.

The emergency unfolded May 9, when firefighters were dispatched to a report of a child pulled from a swimming pool, according to the LAFD.

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Crews arrived within four minutes and found Keira lying beside the pool without a pulse and not breathing.

Within five minutes of the initial 911 call, paramedics had begun advanced lifesaving measures, including CPR and airway management, fire officials said.

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After four minutes of treatment, firefighters were able to restore the girl's heartbeat.

Keira's vital signs continued to improve as she was transported to a local emergency room, where a physician expressed optimism that she would make a full recovery, according to the LAFD.

On Tuesday, more than five months after the emergency, Keira and her parents joined fire department leadership to recognize the crew that saved her life.

"Nothing weighs on a firefighter like a call involving a child," an LAFD official said during the ceremony. "What this crew accomplished under that level of pressure represents the very best of our department. Seeing Keira here today with her family reminds all of us why we do this work."

The seven Station 86 personnel honored were Capt. Justin Randolph, engineers Shawn Phillips and Daniel Harris, firefighter-paramedics Scott Luft, Curtis Faulkner and Preston Vowels, and firefighter-dispatcher Alfred Camacho.

Department officials credited the crew's rapid response, medical training and ability to remain calm during the emergency with saving Keira's life.

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