Anyone can be a hero, regardless of age, education or physical abilities.
The main thing is to show fortitude, courage and persistence in the fight against circumstances in an emergency situation. Maxim, a 7-year-old boy, showed all these qualities as an adult, saving his friend, who accidentally fell into a water manhole.
The incident happened on December 3. First-graders Maxim and Ira were returning home from school. The weather was clear, and there were huge puddles on the roads because of the melting snow. To get around one of these puddles, the kids went to the side of the road.
Suddenly Ira screamed. The girl fell into a deep hole filled with water. Maxim, who could not yet understand what had happened, managed only to grab her friend’s arm. It turned out that the children had not noticed the poorly closed lid of the water manhole under a layer of snow.
When the girl’s foot stepped on the lid, it tipped over and Ira fell into a manhole about one meter deep, with the lid slamming shut again, leaving only a small gap. Holding her friend’s hand, Maxim tried to push the asbestos manhole cover with his other hand, but the 7-year old boy did not have enough strength – the cover was too heavy.
He started screaming and calling for help, hoping that one of the local residents would hear him. All the while he kept holding his friend’s hand, afraid to let her out of his sight for even a second or leave her alone. Her clothes, soaked with cold water, could have dragged the girl into the depths of the well.
A neighbor rushed to their aid. But even her strength was not enough to push back the manhole cover. The woman immediately called the emergency services and, together with Maxim, they continued desperately trying to save the girl until emergency services arrived.
At some point the cover gave way and they managed to pull Ira out of the freezing water. A neighbor grabbed the child in her arms and carried her home. The woman wrapped Ira in warm clothes, gave her hot tea, and reported the incident to the school where the children were studying. Fortunately, as doctors later confirmed, Iria’s health was fine. Thanks to the courage and tenacity of her friend, Maxim, the tragedy was averted.
The action of the first grader did not go unnoticed. Honored guests, including the Head of Administration and the EMERCOM came to thank Maxim for his bravery. The little defender received a memorable gift – a toy tank.
The head of the local fire and rescue department presented Maxim with a certificate of merit for high civic awareness, courage, determination and selflessness in rescuing a person and, of course, a present – a large fire engine.
