WATCH: Firefighter saves son from drowning in pool

HEMET, Calif. (Gray News/TMX) – In an incident caught on camera, a firefighter rescued his own young son from drowning in a pool after the boy fell in without a floatation device last week.

A Ring home surveillance video was shared by the Hemet Fire Fighters Association Local 2342. The video shows Hemet Fire Engineer and Paramedic Zachary Petit’s 1-year-old son, Cole, standing by the side of a backyard pool on May 16.

The boy can be seen removing a personal floatation device before sitting at the edge of the pool and slipping into the water.

Petite then leaps into view to pull the boy out before he could drown.

“The video is a sobering reminder that a water emergency can happen to anyone at any time in a matter of seconds,” Hemet Fire wrote alongside the video on Facebook. “Even though both parents took all the proper precautions including a gate around the pool, motion-activated video monitoring and an appropriate personal floatation device, their son still managed to take off his PFD and get in the water.”

The fire department wrote that Petit was fortunately nearby and quickly realized what happened to Cole and was able to rescue him.

“Our hope is that by sharing this video, we send a humble and strong message. Even though young Cole managed to find his way into the water without being noticed, Zack and Jessica’s proactive approach to pool safety is the reason their son survived,” Hemet Fire wrote. “Children drown without a sound, please watch the water.”

Copyright 2023 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. TMX contributed to this report.