Off-duty Va. Medic Saves Friend in Near-Drowning Incident

Aug. 20--Michael R. Small said he was the right person, in the right place, at the right time when one of his close friends needed help.

On July 25, the Newport News firefighter medic and his wife, Shirley Alston, said their goodbyes to Kevin Davis and his wife, Karen, about 10:30 p.m. after hanging out on a boat docked at the Sunset Boating Center in Hampton. As Small was leaving, he heard a splash and realized that Davis had fallen into the water. The three waited about 15 seconds to see if Davis, a capable swimmer, would surface. But Davis didn't and Alston screamed for Small to help.

That's when Small went into "rescue mode," as Alston calls it. He tore off his shirt and shoes and dove into the 12-foot water between the boat and dock where Davis had fallen. But without light in the murky water, he couldn't initially find Davis. After his third dive, Small saw Davis' body floating between the pontoons under the floating dock -- he had hit his head and lost consciousness.

Davis wasn't breathing and had been underwater for more than a minute. Small slammed his friend hard on the back. Fortunately, Davis coughed up water and opened his eyes. Small, with the help of Karen Davis, hoisted Kevin Davis atop the dock.

"It was a freak accident like that, for him to fall in and knock himself out," Small said.

Davis awakened enough to initially refuse going to the hospital, but Small recalled from fire department training that people who nearly drown may look fine, but are still at risk because of fluid in their lungs.

That was exactly the case when doctors x-rayed Davis. He ended up staying in intensive care for four days. Family and friends prayed hard when the outlook seemed grim, Small said, but Davis pulled through.

Now, Davis is back at work as an assistant principal at Kecoughtan High School in Hampton. Small, 56, continues to work both as a firefighter medic and emergency room tech at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News.

In his 25 years with the fire department, Small said the incident marked his first water rescue and the first time his efforts saved a close friend.

"It was a very traumatic experience for me," Small said. He's known the Davises for more than 20 years.

And Small says he would have done the same for anyone in distress. As far as friends and strangers calling him a hero, he said, "I take it as a compliment but I don't really look at myself as a hero because I do this 24/7."

Finding someone in Hampton Roads waters is extremely difficult because there's no visibility, even from a few feet away, and divers have no sense of where they are, said Capt. Frank White, coordinator of the Newport News Fire Department's Marine Incident Response Team.

Safety tips

Capt. Frank White and the Newport News Fire Department's Marine Incident Response Team remind residents to prepare for the unexpected with these tips:

Learn to swim.

Use an appropriate personal flotation device. Don't just keep it in the boat.

Hyperthermia freezes function for even the best swimmers, so pay attention to water temperature, particularly in spring and summer. The air may be warm, but the water is not.

Avoid drinking alcohol when swimming or boating.

Don't leave children unsupervised near water, regardless of their swimming ability.

Copyright 2012 - Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)