Georgia Firefighters Rescue Toddler From Storm Drain

April 30, 2012
East Point Firefighter Rosa Tulllis was lowered down into the hole.

East Point firefighters rescued a 1-year-old boy who fell nearly 20 feet down a storm drain Sunday night.

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The toddler luckily suffered only minor injuries and was saved by a firefighter lowered down into the hole, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Crews responded to the incident on Bryant Drive around 7:30 p.m. and began breaking a concrete cover to access the drain, department spokeswoman Renita T. Shelton told the newspaper.

They planned on lowering a ladder down into the drain, but quickly realized that the ladder and a firefighter would not fit. Firefighter Rosa Tulllis was rigged with a harness and was lowered down into the hole.

At 4 feet, 9 inches, Tullis' size made her the perfect fit for the job.

"He was grabbing before I even got down, and I could hardly manipulate him because he was gripping me so tightly," she told WSB-TV.

After spending about 20 minutes in the hole, Tullis was able to lift the boy over her head to crews waiting above. They were able to pull both the boy and Tullis out of the hole.

The boy sustained cuts and bruises and was transported to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston for treatment.

Tullis suffered minor cuts to her arm, but was otherwise uninjured.

"I have boys, so it's kind of personal and it makes it all worth coming to work and being dropped down a hole to be able to hand them their baby back," she said.

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