Little Girl Thanks Off-Duty Paramedic Who Saved Her From Drowning

LOS ANGELES, CA — Four-year-old Sophia Rouse may not understand what mortality means or how close she came to it when she was found unconscious at the bottom of a pool, but she does know what a hero looks like. On Tuesday, the giggling tot wrapped a floral lei and her arms around Los Angeles Fire Department paramedic Daniel Harris during a tearful reunion with the man who saved her life.

Harris was vacationing in Hawaii thousands of miles away from his job with the Los Angeles Fire Department on that fateful day when he save the little girl's life.

"He came across a situation where a little girl, 4-year-old Sophia was found at the bottom of the pool, not breathing," said Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas. "He sprang into action. It doesn't matter if you are on duty or off duty, you're a firefighter 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and for that we're extremely proud."

Harris happened to be vacationing at the resort where Sophia sank to the bottom of a swimming pool. She was pulled unconscious from the water, and Harris administered CPR until Sophia regained consciousness.

"Sophia had several angels watching over her that day, and we are beyond blessed and grateful that heroes are among us," Sophia's mother, Kandice Johns, said.

As her mother tearfully hugged the man who saved her child, Sophia, jumped up and down with excitement. She placed a floral lei around his neck during the reunion at Fire Station 5 in Westchester.

Johns, who flew to Los Angeles from Hawaii with Sophia and the rest of her family for the reunion, fought back tears as she looked back on the day.

"Every day we think about how our lives would never have been the same had he not been there," she said of Harris.

For his part, Harris was just happy to see Sophia fully recovered from her brush with death.

"I just don't know the words to say, but I'm happy Sophia's here, because that's the most important thing," Harris said. "You always train and you never know when we're going to have to act."

Harris was presented with a proclamation by LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas recognizing his actions.

"The men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department, they do amazing things every day on duty and they do even more incredible things off duty," he said. "But it's such a great inspirational story for our department ... to know that great things happen every day with the Los Angeles Fire Department."

City News Service and Patch Staff Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo courtesy of LAFD/Alex Gillman.