Boy Critical After Near Drowning In Joppa: Officials

JOPPA, MD — Officials said a child pulled from a Joppa pool in distress on Memorial Day was in critical condition Monday night. CPR greatly increased his chances of survival, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, which reported one of its members who lived nearby arrived within minutes of learning of the situation and provided basic life support to the boy.

The Harford County Department of Emergency Services received the call at 1:47 p.m. on Monday, May 27, that a child was found unresponsive and not breathing at a private pool on Neptune Drive.

The 911 center staff provided pre-CPR instructions to the caller while dispatching crews from the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company to the scene.

A Joppa-Magnolia member who lives in the neighborhood heard the fire dispatch and arrived at 1:51 p.m. to begin providing basic life support, according to the fire company.

The child did not have a pulse when the member arrived, Joppa-Magnolia reported.

Five minutes later, a paramedic unit from the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company was also at the scene and began advanced life support, officials said.

By the time he arrived at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, the child had a heartbeat, according to the fire company.

The victim was an 11-year-old boy, according to WJZ.

After being stabilized at the hospital, the boy was airlifted to the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, where he remains critical Monday night, Joppa-Magnolia reported.

"It can not be understated that early CPR played a significant role in this incident and greatly increased the child’s chance of survival," the fire company said in a statement.