Fire Department

A toddler is relieved after firefighter/EMTs and paramedics removed a water bottle that had been stuck on his finger for several hours.

The three-year-old’s mother called 911 after multiple attempts to get his finger out on the narrow neck of a hard-plastic water bottle. No amount of lotion, soap, and petroleum jelly was enough to slide the boy’s finger from the bottle.

Medic 10 and Engine Company 10 arrived to offer assistance. By this time, the boy was in tears. His finger was swollen and had been trapped in the bottle for at least eight hours.

One firefighter/EMT offered assurances that everything would be okay as she grabbed a pair of Raptor shears (example pictured on the right) to cut away the plastic.

After the bottle was freed from the boy’s hand, paramedics assessed the finger and checked the boy's vital signs. They determined he did not need to be transported to the ER, but his mother said she would take him to a nearby clinic for further evaluation as a precaution.