Firefighter captain recounts life-and-death moment as he dives into the sea to save four people

Recalling the moment he jumped into the sea to save four drowning people, the firefighter shared that it was out of habit and professional intuition.

More than 8 months have passed, but when asked about the act of saving a drowning person at Ba Ria - Vung Tau beach, Captain Thai Ngo Hieu (born in 1989), an officer of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Trang Bom area, Dong Nai Provincial Police, still remembers clearly. But for this firefighter, that action is very normal, according to habit, intuition, and professional skills.

Previously, on the afternoon of April 10, 2022, many clips were widely circulated on social networks recording a young man trying to perform CPR on two people who were drowning and suffocating on the beach in Phuoc Tinh commune, Long Dien district (Ba Ria - Vung Tau).

The clip shows that both victims (1 male, 1 female) appeared to have drowned, their bodies limp and motionless. However, just a few minutes later, thanks to CPR, both began to vomit a lot of water out of their bodies and gradually regained consciousness.

Watching the clip, everyone was nervous, attentively watching and breathing a sigh of relief when seeing the two drowning victims escape death; admiring the man's actions and skills.

Very quickly, the man in the clip was identified as Captain Thai Ngo Hieu (then Lieutenant), an officer of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team in Trang Bom area ( Dong Nai province).

Sharing about that moment, Captain Thai Ngo Hieu said that he and his family were on vacation in Long Dien district. While swimming in the sea with his family in Phuoc Tinh commune, they suddenly saw a group of 5 young people in the distance, huddled together, their hands flailing in the water, and heard a cry for help.

“With experience in saving many drowning people, I knew something was wrong so without thinking, I immediately rushed to the area where the victim was,” Captain Hieu said.

According to Mr. Hieu, at this time, he and everyone swam out to save 4 victims to shore, including 2 people who were seriously drowning and lying motionless. Captain Hieu quickly approached to perform artificial respiration, pushing the water out of their bodies, helping the victims regain consciousness.

“Two people were seriously drowned, the male was in more critical condition, his body was cyanotic. I persisted in performing CPR for a long time, 5 minutes, to push the water out of his body and the victim began to regain consciousness. After dealing with this person, I quickly ran back to perform CPR on the other female, luckily the female was less seriously injured so she regained consciousness quickly,” Captain Hieu recalled.

After saving his friends, he learned that there was still one person who had not been found. He immediately coordinated with the local rescue team to continue the search. After 2 hours, they found the victim, but unfortunately, he did not survive.

"I'm sorry, the joy is not complete because I couldn't save everyone," Captain Hieu said sadly.

Captain Thai Ngo Hieu was born and raised in a family with a rich revolutionary tradition in Yen Son commune, Do Luong district, Nghe An province.

Back then, Yen Son commune had a canal with clear blue water flowing through it, where Hieu and his friends often went swimming together. The hometown river held many childhood memories and was also the place where he practiced his swimming skills.

In 2012, he volunteered to join the People's Public Security Force. He was then assigned to work at the Fire Fighting and Rescue Team in Trang Bom area, under the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department - Dong Nai Provincial Police.

In this environment, Mr. Hieu was trained in high-altitude rescue teams, traffic accidents, swimming, scuba diving, etc. In addition, in addition to striving to improve his professional skills, Mr. Thai Ngo Hieu also made efforts to participate in movements and achieved many high awards.

Having been in the profession for over 10 years, there are many memories that have left a deep impression. But for Mr. Hieu, perhaps the moment he jumped into the sea to save 4 people who were swept away by the waves from death will be a memorable memory. Talking about that life-and-death moment, Mr. Hieu expressed: "Everything is based on natural inertia and professional skills."

For his brave actions, Thai Ngo Hieu was awarded the Medal of Courage by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc; the Minister of Public Security signed a decision to promote him from Lieutenant to Captain...

Authorized by the President, Major General Nguyen Van Long - Deputy Minister of Public Security announced the decision and said: "The heroic and brave actions of Mr. Thai Ngo Hieu in everyday life have helped 4 families and 4 clans avoid pain and loss, contributing to bringing society a peaceful and happy life and strongly spreading throughout society a beautiful image of the People's Public Security soldier".

Huy Hoang - Design: Nguyen Cuc

Vietnamnet.vn

https://vietnamnet.vn/dai-uy-cuu-hoa-ke-giay-phut-sinh-tu-lao-xuong-bien-cuu-4-nguoi-2086978.html