Boston's firefighter Sean Coyle came to the rescue this winter when he pulled a 13-year-old husky named Sylvie from the brink of death after she fell into 20-degree water.
Sylvie and her owner had been walking along the Boston Harbor
when she plunged through the ice near Castle Island. Her owner immediately called 911,
and seven-year veteran of Ladder 19 answered the call.
Coyle, wearing a survival suit, slid out on the ice in a stokes basket.
“As I got closer, I could see the ice was encapsulating him,” Coyle said.
“He was frozen and real scared, I’d say he had less than half an hour left.”
A human wouldn’t have lasted more than 10 minutes.
Sylvie had already been treading the 20-degree water for half an hour.
Coyle’s outstretched arm was met by a receptive Sylvie, ever so grateful to have her rescuer’s help.
He managed to pull her from the icy water, but needed a rescue for himself when he fell in.
He had been judiciously attached to a rope, and was able to be pulled to shore by fellow firefighters.
Both he and Sylvie were gradually warmed up and recovered.
This was the second time Coyle had saved a dog from the water.
His first rescue was of a dog stuck below the rocks on Pleasure Bay.
He says a life is a life, be it two- or four-legged.
“We look at the pets like citizens,” he said.
“They’re loved by their owners and we want to make sure,
whether it’s in a burning building or a freezing lake, we just want to get them out safe.”
