Boy Meets Fireman who Saved him

(AP) — When fourth-grader Koregan Quintanilla was talking with his classmates about where they wanted to go more than anyplace else in the world, his answer wasn’t an amusement park, sporting event or kids restaurant. It was “his” fire station.

Koregan was abandoned in 2002 at an Arlington fire station when he was just a few hours old. Texas’ Baby Moses law allows a parent to leave an unharmed infant up to 60 days old at a fire station or hospital with no questions asked. Child Protective Services then takes custody of the babies.

On Thursday evening, Koregan got his wish for his 10th birthday. He met the Arlington firefighter who saved him, rode on a fire truck and toured the station. He hugged Arlington firefighter Wesley Keck and said he was “very nice.”

Keck said he was excited about seeing the boy for the first time since finding a baby carrier outside the station on a cold November morning. He said he did a double take before rushing outside. He moved the blanket aside and saw a sleeping baby, then gently picked up the carrier and walked inside to tell his colleagues the shocking news, he said.

“I announced that somebody had left us a gift,” Keck said Thursday. “I checked him out, and he seemed fine. I don’t remember him crying. I held him, and he slept a lot. I have four kids, and some of the other firefighters are fathers, so taking care of babies wasn’t new to us.”

Koregan’s mother, Rebecca Quintanilla, said her son, who turned 10 last week, always has known he was adopted and has watched TV news footage from when he was found at the fire station. This year, when Koregan began showing more interest in meeting the firefighter, she tracked Keck down and planned a reunion.

“He’s a very good kid, kind, shy and he’s always giving things away to people,” Quintanilla said. “After talking to Mr. Keck, I think he’s like that. I do believe Koregan has some traits from Mr. Keck, although he just spent a few hours with him.”

Since 2009, 43 babies have been dropped off at fire stations and hospitals in Texas, said Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. All states have similar laws, but Texas was the first to create the Baby Moses law, signing it into law in 1999. It took effect in 2001.

Quintanilla, who has five other children, all adopted, said she is grateful for the Baby Moses law — although it means Koregan never will have a way of finding his biological mother or his medical history unless she comes forward.

“It’s amazing, because there are terrified women who have no idea what to do,” she said. “There’s a window of time when they can make a choice.”

Keck, a firefighter for 26 years, agreed.

“I’m happy the way it turned out,” he said. “I didn’t do anything special. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

 

I Had I Busy Evening…

Two die and two airlifted after structural collapse.

ER 24:

Two men have sustained fatal injures while another two suffered critical injuries after a wall collapsed onto them at a residence on Adam Tas road in Somerset West.

The three construction workers and their manager were at the wall that was being constructed behind the pool at the private residence, when suddenly the wall collapsed onto them. The manager was crushed beneath the weight of the rubble, while one of the construction workers was pushed into the pool and he may have been drowned as he was pinned down by the weight of the bricks on top of him. The two men died at the scene and nothing more could be done to save their lives.

The other two men had also been crushed by the falling rubble and the Department of Health Provincial Government Emergency Medical Services Structrual Collapse Unit were immediately called to the scene to coordinate the rescue of the two men. The Structural Collapse Team set to work to free the man, meticulously removing the rubble from the area so as to not impact on the patient’s injuries but to free the two men as quickly as they could.

Approximately two hours later the patients were ready for transport and AER24 was called in. A private ambulance service brought the patients to a nearby field where ER5 had landed in wait. The first patient was loaded into the air ambulance and transported through to Mediclinic Vergelegen. After a comprehensive but quick handover of the patient, they booked airborne back to the scene to collect the second patient. Shortly after that the patient was safely on the way to Mediclinic Cape Gate.

Both patients, despite having suffered extensive injuries in the accident, remain in hospital in stable conditions.

Back from Fire & Rescue Chaplaincy Training

We had some practical training this morning… A refresher for some. I took some pics with the phone to share.

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