In his 14 years of putting out fires, Brian Box says he has never saved a life. That all changed Wednesday afternoon after he pulled a 13-year-old boy out of frigid pond water in Topeka.
"I just happened to be the guy in the suit, one of the two guys in the suits, but on any given day that's our job,” said Box.
Box, along with partner Zach Russle, sprang into action and pulled the boy to safety within four minutes of being on scene.
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In a twist of fate, Box had brought in a training video on water rescues to his station to show fellow firefighters that morning.
"I think it is ironic but I'm glad it happened. I'm not going to take credit for that, I think there is probably powers that be that made that happen,” said Box.
Box says the boy was able to mutter “thank you” before being take to the hospital.
The boy's mother said he is doing just fine. She also said she hopes this serves as a warning for children not to play on icy water and for parents to talk to their kids about it.
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Ali Hoxie can be reached at ali.hoxie@kshb.com.
