Mom thanks firefighters for saving 2-year-old son's life

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When you think of what firefighters do, you probably go straight to the image of them putting out fires. But that's just one part of their job.

Firefighters have emergency medical technician and first responder training, along with a paramedic's license, because most of their calls are medical calls.

Just ask Mandy Conner, a mother of three. Jan. 17 was a day she'll never forget.

"It was the scariest day of my life, by far," Conner said.

Her 2-year-old son Clyde got a hold of his autistic sister's medicine bag. Conner found him and the empty bottle of medicine, called 911, and within 8 minutes the EMTs were on scene, ready to take action.

Her son had consumed all 20 pills inside the bottle. It could have been fatal if the rescue team didn't get to him in time.

"I thought he was going to die," Conner said. "I mean, he was barely breathing."

Her son was rushed to Wolfson Children's Hospital, and within hours he went from barely breathing to breathing on his own.

Conner said she wants the firefighters to know how grateful she is to them for helping save her son's life.

"It really changed my way of viewing them, and I'm very thankful that we have them nearby and they came so quickly to get him," she said.

Conner, her son Clyde and one of her daughters paid Station 70 in Nassau County a visit. Conner brought them food, introduced them to her son and thanked them.

Lt. Chris Gamble, an 18-year firefighter, was one of the lifesavers.

"We don't really care for all the lights and the glamour, but yeah, just having someone stop by and say thanks and get to see the end result," he said.

The end result that a young boy is alive thanks to them.

Gamble also said these accidents are preventable. One way to do this is to make sure the medicine bottle cap is screwed on to a child-lock setting.

"Parents need to make sure their medications are stored out of the reach of children," Gamble said. "Obviously, locked is even better."