Crime & Safety

Firefighters, Swift Water Team Respond to 3 Water-Related Incidents Monday

A 4-year-old child was found unresponsive in a pool Monday, while some boaters learned the hard way that the DuPage River's current was too strong.

A 4-year-old boy attending a neighborhood cookout was found unresponsive in a backyard pool, in one of three water-related rescues that took place Monday, according to the Naperville Fire Department.

Efforts of adults on the scene and the Naperville Fire Department resulted in the child being conscious and responsive when Naperville paramedics transported him to .

Two children found the boy in the pool Monday afternoon and called for help. Adults pulled the boy out of the water and began administering life-saving procedures, according to a news release from Naperville Fire Department Deputy Chief Rick Sander. Firefighters were on the scene within five minutes and provided advanced life support care before the child was transported to Edward Hospital.

Find out what's happening in Napervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Earlier in the day, a swift water rescue team from the Naperville Fire Department was dispatched to Hobson Road and Washington Street, near , to assist a woman who had been paddling down the DuPage River. When the woman's watercraft was overturned, she was separated from her craft and stranded on an island in the river, Sander said in the news release. The woman was safely removed from the water by the rescue team.

“While returning to shore, the rescue team encountered a family of three clinging to safety in their capsized canoe,” Sander said in the news release. “The Fire Department secured the canoe with a rescue rope and assisted all three victims safely to shore.”

Find out what's happening in Napervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In both of Monday's water-rescue incidents on the DuPage River, the victims were wearing life vests and were uninjured.

Water Safety Tips

  • Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards.
  • Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim alone. Even at a public pool or a lifeguarded beach. Use the buddy system.
  • Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.
  • Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.
  • Establish rules for your family and enforce them without fail. For example, set limits based on each person’s ability, do not let anyone play around drains and suction fittings, and do not allow swimmers to hyperventilate before swimming under water or have breath-holding contests.
  • Even if you do not plan on swimming, be cautious around natural bodies of water including ocean shoreline, rivers and lakes. Cold temperatures, currents and underwater hazards can make a fall into these bodies of water dangerous.
  • If you go boating, wear a life jacket. Most boating fatalities occur from drowning.
  • Avoid alcohol use. Alcohol impairs judgment, balance and coordination; affects swimming and diving skills; and reduces the body’s ability to stay warm.

Source: American Red Cross


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.