Off-duty Paramedic Rescues Girl from Los Angeles House Fire
While others were shooting video on their cell phones, an off-duty paramedic raced to save a girl from a house fire on Thanksgiving night.
And, the seven-year-old said she remembered fire safety messages she learned in school.
"Don't grab anything, leave the house, leave wherever you are. I told my grandma that there was fire, and she went to go alert everybody at the house," Savannah Vasquez told abc7 reporters.
"That guy just came out of nowhere, and then I was there, and then he helped me get out of the fire," she said.
That guy was Richard Recinos, an off-duty paramedic, who saw her standing on the porch of the burning house as he was driving by.
“Considering the circumstances, I saw my opportunity for a quick grab and go, quick exit, and everything went well,” Recinos told KTLA.
He carried Savannah away from the flames and passed her to another bystander who stepped in to help. He called it a split-second decision he would make again “in a heartbeat,” adding that it was “a big relief for everyone.”
She was treated for burns on her feet.
About the Author
Susan Nicol
News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.