911 Helps Mother Save Drowning Boy

A 2-year-old boy who fell into his back yard pool in Whittier Thursday was rescued by his mother, who then revived him with coaching from a Fire Department dispatcher.

The woman, whose name was not released, called the 911 emergency line about 2 p.m. after discovering her son at the bottom of the pool.

The boy had no pulse and was turning blue for lack of oxygen, Fire Inspector Chris Buttons said.

Hubert Parker, a 15-year veteran with the County Fire Department, said he took over the call and calmed the frantic woman.

“I had to calm myself down first before I could calm her down,” Parker said. “For someone who never did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) before, she did great.”

The woman told Parker her son had been in the pool about three minutes before she found him. The boy was revived and taken to a local hospital. His condition was not immediately known.

“I could really feel this woman’s grief,” said Parker, who has young children of his own.