pMembers of the Hammondsport Fire Department traveled to Hamilton New York to witness the award of FireFighter of the year being given to Captain Nathan Buckley and Chief of the Wayne Fire Department Larry Daynbspppnbsppdiv styleline-height 200 text-indent 0.5in margin 0in 0in 10ptOn March 19supthsup 2010 at 1921 hours the Hammondsport Fire Department was dispatched for a boat reportedly taking on water unable to get to shore.nbspIt was unseasonably warm around 52 degrees that day and calm.nbspDispatch reported that the vessel was still running but not able to maneuver and that there were two males on the boat.nbspThe Caller was able to get to shore but was unable to secure the boat to the dock.nbspThe Boat had drifted approximately 75 feet away from the shore.nbspCar 2101 responded at 1924 hours and was on scene at 1925.nbspnbspdivdiv styleline-height 200 text-indent 0.5in margin 0in 0in 10ptOnce on scene Assistant Chief Buckley confirmed the dispatch information and spoke to the caller who stated that her husband age 37 and son age 12 were still on board attempting to make repairs.nbspShe also stated that everything was ok and that they only needed a tow to shore.nbspdivdiv styleline-height 200 text-indent 0.5in margin 0in 0in 10ptWhile Asst. Chief Buckley was interviewing the wife Chief Larry Day of the Wayne Fire Departmentnbspnbsp Captain Nathan Buckley and Firefighter Lucas Calafiore of the Hammondsport Fire Department had arrived on scene and observed the scene and attempted to make contact with the men onboard.nbspAfter about 30 sec. of trying to establish contact they noticed that the son started to act distressed and then suddenly disappeared from view falling from the captainrsquos chair of the boat.nbspdivdiv styleline-height 200 text-indent 0.5in margin 0in 0in 10ptNoticing this it was decided that quick action needed to be taken.nbspWithout regard for their own safety Capt. Buckley in Shorts mind you and Chief Day secured a paddle boat and started out through the nearly freezing water to board the vessel with one end of a 75rsquo throw bag and FF Calafiore along with arriving personnel from Hammondsport Fire Department and Ambulance Corp. on shore with the other end of the rope.nbspOnce they reached the boat Chief Day entered the boat he saw that the child had fallen into the engine compartment with the engine still running.nbspCaptain Buckley on the outside secured the rope to a cleat on rear of the boat and then immediately got on the boat to assist. Once secured the rescue personnel on shore started to pull the boat to shore.nbspInside the boat Chief Day and Capt. Buckley proceeded to extract the child whose head was wedged between the engine block and a large coolant line.nbspShortly after the boat was secured to the dock the child was freed and removed from the boat.nbspAfter that the father was immediately removed from the cabin of the boat.nbspdivdiv styleline-height 200 text-indent 0.5in margin 0in 0in 10ptOnce both men were on shore Rescue personnel on scene proceeded with stabilizing the patients for transport.nbspnbspOnce airways were established and the patients came back to consciousness they were transported to Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital.nbspFrom there they were separately flown out.nbspThe father went to a Hyperbaric Chamber in Syracuse and the son was taken to a chamber in Rochester.nbspnbsp Neither the father nor the son suffered any permanent injuries from this incident.divdiv styleline-height 200 text-indent 0.5in margin 0in 0in 10ptAs for Chief Larry Day and Captain Nathan M. Buckley if it wasnrsquot for the resourcefulness quick actions and disregard for their own safety the father and son would not have survived.nbspdiv
