Saved lad was under for 25min
IT was on a unseasonably hot February day when part-time firefighter Stephen Wharton was called to an emergency on the River Eden in Cumbria. Thirteen-year-old Kacper Krouze had been trying to swim across the river when the cold water sent his body into shock and he sunk to the bottom. When crew manager Stephen, a painter and decorator, and his crew from Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s Appleby station, arrived the boy had been under the water for 25 minutes.
Crew members thought they would be retrieving the teenager’s dead body. But Stephen says: “I remember on the bank seeing the boy’s parents, who as you can imagine were hysterical, and that made me think, ‘I’ve got to get him’.” Stephen dived in with his flotation device on but it meant he could not swim down.
So, going against protocol, he removed his device, helmet and all the air from his dry suit to enable him to dive 15 feet to the bottom, risking his life in strong currents and freezing conditions.
Stephen recalls: “When I finally found the body it was just lifeless, I managed to pull him out and then he was with the paramedics.” Incredibly Kacper was resuscitated and flown to hospital where, after three weeks in an induced coma, he opened his eyes.
Kacper’s mum Wioletta said: “It’s a miracle he survived. Every day is a little bit better, and he’s slowly getting back to normal.”
Chief Fire Officer John Beard said “There is no doubt that the quick thinking, courage and professionalism of all those involved in this rescue helped save the life of a young man.
“This was a first-class rescue and the way crew manager Stephen Wharton and the crew dealt with a very highpressured situation was exemplary.”
Stephen says: “You always have that element of hope and that is what kept us going, you can never give up.”