A father in Hemet, California, avoided tragedy when he sprang into action to save his toddler son from drowning in the family’s swimming pool on May 15.
Ring camera footage posted by Hemet Firefighters Association shows Zack Petite, a first responder with the fire department, saving his one-year-old son from drowning after the child took off his life vest and jumped into the pool at their home last Tuesday.
“The video is a sober reminder that a water emergency can happen to anyone at anytime in a matter of seconds,” a spokesperson for the association told Storyful.
“Even though both parents took proper precautions including a gate around the pool and a motion activated video monitor, their son still managed to take off his protective vest and get into the water,” they continued, adding the video was shared with the hope of raising parents’ awareness to similar situations heading into the Summer months.
“This is a stark reminder of how quickly things can change, and how prepared parents should be in any circumstance,” they said.
Speaking to local media, Petite said despite being a trained first responder, it was his fatherly instincts that made him immediately jump into action at the sight of seeing his son fall into the pool.
“For parents out there, if you got a pool, make sure it has a gate, a child safety lock, door alarms,” Petite said. Credit: Hemet Firefighters Association 2342 via Storyful
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