Two off-duty firefighters pulled a 5-year-old boy from a hotel pool in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea on Sunday and immediately began CPR, keeping him alive until full fire-rescue crews arrived. Paramedics later regained a pulse at the scene and rushed the child to Broward Health Medical Center, where officials said he has since woken up and was talking with his doctor and family.
Off-Duty Pros Jump In Before Pompano Beach Units Get There
According to NBC 6 South Florida, Pompano Beach Fire Rescue crews were dispatched to the Plunge Beach Resort after reports of a child in the water, but two off-duty firefighters, one from the Broward Sheriff’s Office and another from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, were already on scene and had started life-saving CPR. Video recorded at the resort shows bystanders and first responders pulling the boy from the pool and carrying him to a waiting ambulance.
The town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea notes that Pompano Beach provides fire-rescue services to the town under contract, which is why its crews responded to the emergency.
Witnesses Recall A Chaotic, Terrifying Moment
“I saw the kid in very bad shape; he was breathing but barely, and they were doing the CPR,” witness Marquc Fernando told NBC 6 South Florida. The station reports that Pompano Beach crews were able to get the child’s pulse back before he was transported to the hospital.
Child Drownings Spike As Water-Safety Alarms Grow Louder
The rescue comes as Florida confronts a grim reality about kids and water. According to a Florida Senate press release, the state recorded 119 fatal child drownings in 2025, a new high. As local leaders push prevention programs, the Miami Herald reports that Miami-Dade is expanding its Zero Drownings initiative to add free swim lessons, transportation and summer-camp water-safety programs for families.
Officials Push Back-To-Basics Water-Safety Advice
Local officials are again stressing the basics for anyone watching children around water. Caretakers are urged never to leave a child unattended near pools or open water, to appoint a designated adult watcher at gatherings, to keep barriers and alarms in working order, and to enroll kids in formal swim instruction, Broward County advises.
The American Red Cross also reminds families that drowning can be silent and urges adults to learn CPR, use U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets for inexperienced swimmers, and keep rescue tools close by as part of its National Water Safety Month guidance.
In Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, officials and witnesses said the quick actions of the off-duty firefighters, bystanders and responding crews likely made all the difference for the 5-year-old. Authorities have not released the child’s name, and the investigation into how he ended up in the water remains ongoing.
