Hood County heroes

The quick and heroic actions of several local volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel saved the life of a 2-year-old early Sunday morning.

According to a Facebook post from the Granbury Volunteer Fire Department, at approximately 12:50 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, Hood County 911 received a report of an apartment fire in the 300 block of Parkwood in Granbury. Upon arrival, first responders were instructed by dispatchers that a child was trapped in a second-floor bedroom.

Granbury Volunteer Fire Department Capt. Bradley Snyder explained that the second-story apartment was fully engulfed in flames, prompting firefighters to quickly react and split into two teams.

“One team tackled the fire while the other team rescued the child from the burning apartment,” Snyder said, in an email to the Hood County News.

GVFD volunteer Brian Serratelli laddered the bedroom window while North Hood County VFD Lt. Jonathan Head climbed up and entered the building. Together, they successfully removed the 2-year-old from the burning apartment.

Snyder said the child was handed down the ladder to members of Texas EMS, where the child was treated and transported by a medivac helicopter for further advanced care in Fort Worth.

“The fire was quickly extinguished and Red Cross provided housing for the displaced residents,” he added.

Head, who was instrumental in the rescue, said he gives glory to God for his protection over everyone involved.

“When we hear ‘there is someone trapped,’ we know every passing second is the difference between life and death,” he said, in an email to the HCN. “Everyone involved in this response had one thing on their mind — ‘Get to that child.’ This was a prime example of what we train for. We never know when that moment will come to use our skills we have acquired, but in the moment it all becomes second nature. My thoughts and prayers are with the family for a speedy recovery.”

GVFD Training Lt. Diego Guerrero also posted on Facebook about the incident, saying that seeing the rescue unfold and being performed in real life “gives me chills and brings me so much joy.”

Guerrero explained that the firefighters performed a technique called VES, which stands for Vent, Enter, Search — a method that has been performed numerous times in training.

“One firefighter goes in, opens a window, searches the room, and brings the victim out, handing him off to his crew,” Guerrero wrote in his post. “We harp and train on this specific scenario countless times, masks blacked out, to simulate conditions exactly like the ones found on this scene with little to zero visibility. I cannot express enough how proud I am of every single person on this scene and our fire departments in Hood County.”

Guerrero noted that when people ask, “Why do y’all volunteer?” “Why are you always up at the station?” and “Why are you there every Saturday?” he points to moments like this.

“This is why we do what we do and have a strong passion for it,” his post continues. “I am proud to be a part of such a great group of men and women committed to serving and protecting others so that when the day comes that we are called to service, we are in a state of readiness.”

Snyder explained that Granbury Fire Marshal Kevin Jones and the Hood County Fire Marshal’s Office are currently investigating the incident. However, he emphasized that the building’s sprinkler system and fire alarms were fully operational, which played a crucial role in saving lives during the emergency.

“The community of Granbury and Hood County should be proud of their volunteer fire department, who worked tirelessly to save lives in this incident,” he added.

The GVFD also credits Snyder for incident command, as well as North Hood County Fire Department’s Peyton Smith for the video documentation of the incident.

“We are all volunteers, but we are professionals,” the GFVD Facebook post reads. “We train to the highest standards and expect that from all of our members.”

Other local agencies who assisted in the rescue include Tolar Volunteer Fire Department, Indian Harbor Volunteer Fire Department and Hood County Station 70 Volunteer Fire Department — with all first responders working together seamlessly to ensure the safe rescue of the young child.

“This is a testament of our training and why we dedicate so much time to getting it right every time,” Serratelli said in an email to the HCN. “I am beyond grateful that firefighter Jonathan Head and I had the opportunity to make this save and give this little boy a chance to live through such a traumatic incident in his young life.”

According to a Facebook post from Selden VFD, the child is currently under observation and is said to be “doing well.”