New Rochelle Fire Fighters Rescue Girl From Mixer

From the New Rochelle Uniformed Fire Fighters Association Local 273:

Fire fighters in New Rochelle received an urgent call for help early Thursday, from one of the 30,000 kitchens in the city. 

A 6-year-old girl was baking brownies for her grandparents in her home around 7 a.m. when her hair accidentally became entangled in a kitchen mixer, trapping her. Fire fighters from Engine Company 25 quickly responded to the home on Fenimore Road in the northern end of New Rochelle to find the young girl ensnarled in the kitchen appliance.

“She was amazingly calm, absolutely terrific,” said Fire Fighter Brian Ferguson, a fire fighter from the scene.

The child’s hair got caught in a heavy duty food mixer and pulled her face all the way to the attached bowl putting a significant strain on her neck and back. The engine crew freed the patient by cutting her hair.

“When I arrived at the scene, I looked at the situation and a haircut seemed to be the simplest solution,” Ferguson said. He is a father of two, and will be retiring in two weeks following a 28-year career. “I still remember my first emergency and I’ll certainly remember this as my career draws to a close—helping a little girl, giving someone else’s child a haircut with chocolate up to my elbows.” 

New Rochelle has a busy fire department, responding to emergencies on several major interstate highways, I-95, Hutchinson River Parkway, the Metro North commuter railroad, Amtrak, a vast shoreline, a busy downtown and over 72,000 residents. New Rochelle Fire Fighters are constantly responding to a wide range of emergencies.

“Not every emergency call will be a major fire, building collapse or multi-car accident,” said Byron Gray, president of the New Rochelle Uniformed Fire Fighters Association Local 273, “but when the emergency is taking place in your own home and it involves your child, it’s a major emergency to you. It’s days like this that remind us how much of a difference firefighters in our department make, one emergency at a time.”