Off-Duty Howard County Firefighter Saves Child from Icy Pond

An off-duty Howard County firefighter rescued two girls from icy waters in Delaware over the weekend.

“Snow, sleet and icy weather can often bring out the best in our firefighters,” the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services reported Monday morning.

“That’s the case with Firefighter Minh Nguyen. Firefighter Nguyen was off duty yesterday, celebrating his birthday when his mother-in-law heard two little girls yelling for help,” the department said in a statement.

“Both Minh and his wife responded and found that the girls fell through an ice pond,” according to the statement. “Thankfully, he just happened to have his swift water bag with him, immediately put on his ice rescue gear and entered the water. Next Firefighter Nguyen slid across the ice and rescued the girls while his wife pulled them to shore.”

Nguyen lives in a development in Bear, Del., nearby where the two girls had been walking on the ice when they fell in, according to Channel 6, the ABC affiliate in Philadelphia.

“...as I was coming over, she was under the water,” Nguyen told Channel 6 of one of the girls, whom he rescue at approximately 4 p.m. Sunday.

When he is on duty, Nguyen is a career firefighter with the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, according to Jackie Kotei, spokeswoman for the department.

He also volunteers for Christiana Fire Company in Delaware.

Photo Credit: Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

See Also:

• Four Children Rescued from Pond Near Landsowne High School
• Kayaker Rescues Dog Stranded on Ice in Joppa
• Prince George’s Police Pull Boy from Icy Pond; Child Drowns