The volunteer firefighters took a teenager from the ocean on Saturday afternoon after he was seen clinging to the wood in the Bay of Glace, ns
John Chant, head of the Glace Bay Volunteer Fire Department, said a call arrived at 12:42 PM informing someone who struggles to return to the coast near Hill Street.
The boy, which the boss estimated that he was between 15 and 17 years old, clung to a piece of floating wood about 45 meters from the coast when he reached the scene.
“You could tell I was tired,” said Chant in an interview on Sunday. “I was calling help.”
The Gace Bay and Dominion teams launched boats from Glace Bay Harbor and could reach the teenager in minutes.
Chant said that the conditions in the water made the rescue dangerous. The waves were so high that the rescue boats lost sight of and the water was “extremely dirty”, which said it is a sign of a strong frame.
Firefighters threw a rope bag, then put it next to a boat before bringing it on board. He was taken to the port, where the paramedics evaluated it.
The teenager, who had been in the water for about 20 minutes, did not seem to suffer serious injuries, but was exhausted and visibly shaken, Chant said.
“I was trembling, more likely because of the shock of the incident than the water temperature,” he said.
The teenager had been on the beach with two friends, who remained on the shore. Sing is not sure how the child ended in the water, but said that the area is a popular place when the weather is calm.
The Volunteer Fire Department published a video of the rescue on social networks that now has more than 110,000 visits.
Song warns people who are careful around water, with the remains of Hurricane Erin still stirring the Atlantic Ocean.
“With hurricanes arriving, the ocean is very dangerous at this time,” he said. “These paras are strong and put at risk not only swimmers, but also rescuers who have to go out.”
