Firefighters to the rescue - Emergency crew saves child whose head was stuck in grille

When a toddler’s antics caused him to get his head stuck in a grille at home on Monday, it was the quick response from the Jamaica Fire Brigade that got him smiling again.

“I was standing at the grille, talking with my dad on the phone, when I felt a small tug at the grille. Next thing I heard was, ‘Ga-ma, I can’t come out!’,” the child’s grandmother, Angela Phillips, told The STAR.

“When I looked down, his head and arm were stuck through a section of the door grille. I managed to take out his arm but his head was not budging. His eyes got red and I almost panicked because I realised he was frightened and in distress,” she added.

Phillips, a justice of the peace, said she called the Jamaica Fire Brigade for help and a team from the Half-Way Tree Fire Station responded. She said that they not only freed the trapped youngster but they also expertly calmed the terrified three-year-old boy whose name is Rahjhon.

“I would like you to help me extend a public thank you, through your media house, to the team at the Half-Way Tree Fire Station for their quick response and execution to save my three-year-old grandson, Rahjhon Johnson. They are D/O S. Sutherland, Sgt. L. Griffiths, Cpl. L. Barnes, L/Cpl. D. Francis, F/Frs E. Hamilton, J. Walker and A. Bird. Right now they are like heroes to him,” she said.

Frightening incident

Recalling the frightening incident, Phillips said young Rahjhon “was screaming and his eyes were getting so red”.

“I realised that I had to keep the grille locked because if he stepped down, he could hang. I called his father and 119. I called my neighbour, too, and it better mi never call her because she began screaming, too,” Phillips said.

“The fire department was there in no time! They did their thing (snap, snap) and he was out. He thanked his heroes with whom he made new friends,” she said.

Phillips said that the firefighters removed the child’s head after cutting the grille.

She re-emphasised how grateful she was for the fire brigade, stating that a lot of times, the work of the emergency services goes unnoticed.

“A lot of people think the department is just for fires, and sometimes, we don’t use of the services of 119, but blast them whenever things don’t turn out well, but these men and women have done a lot of great things and put smiles on a lot of persons, including myself and my grandson, and I will be forever grateful,” she said.