First Responders Day — Barge crew's quick actions likely save drowning boy's life

Not all “first responders” wear a uniform or a badge. Sometimes, they just happen to be the folks at the scene.

On July 18, a Consolidated Grain and Barge crew found themselves thrust into a life-saving situation on the Mississippi River, and without hesitation, they rescued a 12-year-old boy.

The seven men were working to relocate a dock when they saw the boy — missing from Parkview School in Cape Girardeau — run down the dock and onto a barge. One of the men tried to get to the boy, but the boy jumped from the north side of a barge into the river. The barges were perpendicular to the riverbank, and the river current pulled the boy under the first barge. The men were able to quickly detach two barges, and the boy emerged on the south side of the northernmost barge.

The workers threw a line to the boy, but he was unable to grab it.

According to one of the men, Jack McHughs, one of the men on the second barge was able to get a line around the boy and pull him to safety.

Jim Bizzell, president of the Allen L. Oliver Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution, right, presents certificates of honor and a medal to Cape Girardeau Fire Department members who responded to the scene of an incident at the Mississippi River in July in which a boy was saved from potentially drowning. Pictured, from left, are battalion chief Shawn Morris, Capt. Nick Luckey, Paden Lee and John Chimienti.Rick Fahr

McHughs estimated the incident spanned about 2 minutes.

Cape Girardeau Fire Department Capt. Nick Luckey wrote in a narrative of the event the men probably saved the boy's life.

"I firmly believe had these men not been there and jumped into action the way they did, the boy likely would not have survived," he wrote.

Luckey's narrative says the men were having difficulty communicating with the boy, but they remained with him, calming him, until fire department personnel arrived.

Other than a small bump on his head, the boy was OK.

Cape County Private Ambulance technicians assessed the boy, whose vital signs were within normal ranges and who had no apparent injuries. They released him to his parents at the scene.

Fire chief Randy Morris Jr. praised the workers' efforts, saying when department personnel arrived on the scene, the situation was under control.

"When they got there, these guys were comforting the child they had just pulled from the river. They did really good work," he said.

On Oct. 17, Jim Bizzell, president of the Allen L. Oliver Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution, presented certificates of honor and a medal to the members of the barge crew and firefighters who were at the scene.

Those honored were: Consolidated Grain and Barge — Andrew Mungle, Jacob Cole, William Dillow, Keegan Hale, Adam Gentry, Jack McHughs and Josh Thomas; Cape Girardeau Fire Department — Brock Austin, Tyler Brugger, Jacob Farmer, Paden Lee, Jeremiah Shaw, Capt. Andrew Juden, Capt. Nick Luckey and Battalion Chief Shawn Morris.

McHughs said the incident struck a particular chord with the workers.

"It really hits home to most of us because we have kids that age, and I'm glad that we were there to do what we were doing as quickly as we could," he said.

Bizzell said Sons of the American Revolution honor "devotion and contributing to the community."

"One reason we wanted to make the presentation was to show how the community responds in a time of crisis," he explained. "It's in our heritage, and it demonstrates the spirit of the Founding Fathers to leap to the aid of the unfortunate and those who are in need."

He noted first responders aren't always in close proximity to an emergency situation.

"What is also important in this situation, I think, is the community has provided for professional services as a backup. Sometimes, they are the first ones there. Sometimes, they are not. But they can also count on the community to pitch in. To us, that is a trait we want to emphasize and keep alive," he said.