7-Year-Old Hailed as New Hero After Saving Toddler From Bottom of Swimming Pool

Massiah Browne Tiara Delvalle Savannah Sacramento Fire Department Marcus Browne American Academy of Pediatrics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Boy saves drowning toddler Drowning Drowning children Tips to prevent drowning

By Camille Hutchison , Parent Herald Jul 31, 11:39 am

Massiah Browne, a 7-year-old boy from Sacramento, was swimming with his relatives at the apartment complex where he lives with his mother and brother when he saw something out of the ordinary.

The second-grade student was playing in the pool when he saw a boy at the bottom, so he went to get him with the help of his 9-year-old relative, Savannah.

According to his mom, Tiara Delvalle, who rushed to the scene from her apartment after being alerted by relatives, her son swam down into 6-feet deep water to rescue the boy.

The California boy noticed the 3-year-old boy, a stranger to him, with his mouth and eyes open and dove down to get him, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the pool's surface. From there, Savannah pulled the boy onto the pool deck, where adults came to help, and then called 911.

"Savannah brought him to his mom, and then they did CPR on the boy, and then they called the doctor," Browne told Good Morning America (GMA).

A quick-thinking action that saved the three-year-old boy

A spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department confirmed that the first responder responded to a 911 call at the apartment complex's pool on July 19. They performed CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) on the boy, who was already breathing when first responders arrived.

The spokesperson said that the child was eventually transported in critical condition with advanced life support efforts provided by Sacramento firefighters.

Delvalle said that she was in touch with the mother of the boy, whom she reports is doing well, and called the boy's survival a miracle. The young boy's father, Marcus Browne, a boxer who competed for the United States at the 2012 London Olympics, said that even though his son swims like a fish, he was beyond surprised upon hearing of his heroic efforts.

Browne said he couldn't believe what his son, who also goes by his superhero nickname "Siah Fire," did and told him he was a good kid.

AAP safety tips to prevent drowning

Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) report found that male toddlers and teenage boys are at the highest risk of drowning.

According to the AAP, close, constant, attentive, and capable adult supervision is a must when children are in and around water, as well as life jacket use among children and adults.

To prevent unsupervised access to water, parents must use four-sided pool fencing at least 4 feet tall with self-closing and self-latching gates that completely isolate the pool from the house and yard.

Parents must also remember that infant bath seats can tip over, and children can slip out of them and drown even in just a few inches of water in a bathtub. Infants should never be left alone in a tub, even for a minute.

The AAP also warned that containers, such as pails and buckets, should be emptied immediately after use.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S., drowning is the main cause of death for kids between the ages of 1 and 4 and the second leading cause of death for kids up to age 14.