BEVERLY — Around eight o’clock Friday morning, Liz Hoban Brown had just gotten her two children dressed when she went into her office to check a small item for a quick second before heading out the door for the day.
That’s when she heard the words, “Momma, come help me.”
She walked into the hallway where her 3-year-old son, Theodore (Theo), had his head stuck between two balusters (spindles that support handrails).
After several attempts to get him out, she didn’t want to frighten him any further, so she called 911.
That’s when Beverly firefighters Mike Bishop and Chris Swiniuch, each pulled one of the balusters, allowing Mom to free her son.
“The first responders were here within seconds,” said Brown. “We are really, really grateful for our first responders here in Beverly. They were all so pleasant. Theo was upset, and I knew he was safe, but we needed some help to get him out. While we were waiting, he watched a little bit of ‘Bluey’ on the iPad. They didn’t even need to cut anything down. They were able to pry the bars open and get him out.”
Bishop said there have been similar calls to the station, so this wasn’t his first time seeing something like that.
“We were more concerned about the type of baluster that he was caught in, whether it was metal or wood, when we first got there,” said Bishop. “Once we got there, he was conscious, alert, and upset. We realized that the balusters could be moved slightly, so my driver, Chris Swiniuch, and I were able to spread the balusters apart, and his mother was able to move him away from the railing.
“It didn’t take long once we realized the balusters could flex, so we each spread one side to free him. He wasn’t injured and just scared,” added Bishop.
Theo was immediately checked out by EMTs and found to be uninjured.
“We are thankful that he is safe. It was a little scary at that moment,” said Brown. “Theo is very adventurous. I knew that he was safe. We were trying to get him out of there, but I just tried to stay calm for Theo and make sure he knew he was safe and not in any real danger.”
From there, Theo was able to shift gears a bit, landing in a much happier place.
“One of the good ways of getting a kid to take attention away from something that just happened is to say, ‘Hey, we have the fire truck outside,’ and Theo immediately pivoted to the fire truck,” said Bishop.
Theo — who has a big interest in trucks and cars — couldn’t wipe the smile off his face once he stepped outside and saw the emergency vehicles.
“The firefighters and police officers stayed for a bit, and they were just all amazing,” said Brown. “They let him look around at all of the trucks and the ambulance, and that just calmed him down. We are just so grateful to our first responders here in Beverly.”
You can reach Jamie Pote at JPote@northofboston.com.