First responders used the jaws of life to free a 5-year-old from an empty gun safe this week.
The incident happened in Howard County, Maryland at around noon on Tuesday.
Local media reports that the mother called 911 to report that her child had “somehow” gotten into the safe before the door was locked shut.
Eight minutes after the call, firefighters arrived on the scene and starting drilling holes into the safe to ensure that there was no risk that the child would run out of oxygen.
“We said, ‘We’re drilling holes and we’re going to get you out,'” Howard County Fire & EMS spokesman Brad Tanner said to the boy, according to NBC4 Washington.
The fire crew called a locksmith but while they waited they figured they could try their luck using a hydraulic rescue tool, aka the jaws of life.
That did the job! Forty minutes later, the child was freed. A photo, released by the department, indicates the firefighters came in through the back of the safe.
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The child’s parents said following the incident the little one was initially scared but currently “in good spirits.”
During the extrication operation, air monitoring was performed. Access was accomplished in the rear wall of the safe. The child was evaluated and released to the parents and was in good spirits. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/hGq277kJoU
— Howard Co Fire & EMS (@HCDFRS) August 18, 2020
This is not the first time a youngster was found trapped in a gun safe. Back in 2017, an 8-year-old boy locked himself in one at the Rural King store inside the Mercer Mall in Bluefield, West Virginia.
Just as in the incident described above, the local fire department was called to the scene and it also called a locksmith.
In this Bluefield case, the locksmith cut around the safe’s lock and then the fire crew used the jaws of life to remove the lock from the door.
The boy was freed in about 30 minutes and was also physically fine following the ordeal.
It did not say whether the parents were forced to purchase the safe as a result of their kid’s shenanigans.
It’s safe to say (forgive the pun), that the best way to keep small children out of safes is to keep them packed with guns and locked when not in use!
And this… boys and girls, is why we lock our guns in the safe
Good thing it was a cheap safe. How is it possible to get locked in without outside help? Glad it turned out well.
All adult members of the household should have the combination, simple as that.
Someone might be wet behind the ears
There are ‘too many’ in mine for a human to fit. BUT, my cat was able to find room in the back one time. Door was open, and he went in. Now I check for the smaller members of the group! Don’t show up to eat and a search party goes out.
Just asking the obvious question ,why was the safe left open? Especially when there are small children in the house. its like a refrigerator or old freezer. How many times do people with children have to be reminded not to leave these open with the doors on? She is very lucky the first responders were equipped to extract her child. Negligence is not an excuse!! God bless our FIRST RESPONDERS & POLICE FORCE.
As I travel across the country I do have the opportunity to visit gun shops and farm centers. Every gunsafe I examine is open. Suprising we don’t hear more of this. Kids do what they do.Hell when I was a kid if there was such a thing as gunsafes I surely would have locked my pesky little brothers in one at Monkey Wards or Sears or the Western Auto- for sure!
So asking an obvious question. Forgot the combination or lost the key? How do you get a gun out of a locked gun safe? Duh.
IKR. Was wondering same thing. What’s the story there? They had a safe they couldn’t close? It was old and they didn’t know combo I guess.
Thank the Lord and thank George Hurst for inventing the “jaws of life”!!!
So no one knew the combination to the safe? And exactly how did this child manage to spin the locking wheel on the outside of the safe from inside the safe? This isn’t passing the smell test.
I second that statement!
Thank the good Lord this has a happy outcome.