Local News in Brief : Laguna Niguel : Boy Honored for Saving Baby Brother’s Life

A 10-year-old Laguna Niguel boy who saved his 9-month-old brother by pulling him from the bathtub was honored for his heroic efforts Thursday at Orange County Fire Station 39 in Laguna Niguel.

On Aug. 19, John Swain and his housekeeper found his 9-month-old brother, Billy, under water in the bathtub, county Fire Department spokeswoman Kathleen Cha said.

John pulled Billy from the water and gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Cha said. Then he dialed 911 while the housekeeper stayed with the baby.

“He gave dispatchers clear directions of what was going on,” Cha said. “He then called his mom at work and told her, then ran down to the end of the block to direct engines to the right house.”

The boy told fire officials that he knew what to do because of programs he has seen on television and at school, Cha said.

“He was very quick thinking, resourceful and methodical about the whole thing,” Cha said.

John received a state Senate proclamation from an aide to state Sen. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights) and a county Board of Supervisors proclamation from an aide to Supervisor Thomas F. Riley.

Paramedics and firefighters who responded to the call also presented John with a plaque.