FDNY Rescues Brooklyn Child's Head
NY Daily News 7/2/09
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Firefighters from Ladder 101 and Engine 202 bent metal fence bars to free Leon Stanley. |
Firefighters receive
state-of-the-art training to battle raging infernos, dangerous
building collapses and even terrifying terrorist attacks.
But sometimes it's just as rewarding to rescue a 2-year-old
Brooklyn boy who got his head wedged in a metal park fence.
"This is one of those things you don't see a lot, but you have
to be ready for everything," chuckled Firefighter Michael
Troiano.
Precocious toddler Leon Stanley's unexpected adventure began
just after 11:30 a.m. when he and his father went for a walk
near their Red Hook home.
Enjoying the sunshine, the pair strolled along Van Brunt St.
toward Mother Cabrini Park. Stanley, 38, turned his head for a
moment and suddenly heard his son cry out.
"It all happened so fast," the dad said.
"We were just walking in the park, and the next thing you know,
there he was, crying, his head stuck."
Leon had crouched in front of the fence and placed his head in
the 8-inch gap between its bars, his father said.
Not realizing the gap narrowed near the top, the boy quickly
stood up, jamming his head.
"He was a little excited, a little upset," said his father, a
carpenter. "He tried to move but was stuck."
As Stanley tried to keep Leon calm, a woman rushed over and
called 911. Engine 202 responded minutes later.
"We pulled up and there he was, the boy and his head stuck in
the bars," said Troiano, 29. "He was crying and dad was trying
to calm him down."
FDNY Lt. Anthony Rao got down on his knees and tried to distract
the screaming child with a flashlight as the other firefighters
worked around him.
"It was an all-hands-on-deck operation," James Stanley said.
Troiano used the Jaws of Life to pry open the bars, freeing the
boy.
"Oh, he was glad to be out of there," Troiano said. "He ran to
Dad and was happy."
Paramedics checked Leon and pronounced him no worse for wear
after the four-minute ordeal, Stanley said.
"The [firefighters] were great," said the grateful father, who
took his child home for a nap.
"He's a little traumatized, but hopefully he'll forget about it
soon," he said. "It's one of those things you'll look back on
and laugh when he's all grown up."
jlemire@nydailynews.com
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