Mapleton honors civilians and first responders after child rescued from backyard pool

Mapleton city leaders on Wednesday recognized two young civilians and multiple emergency personnel after a child was pulled from a backyard pool and taken to the hospital. Fire Chief Jackson told the council the 911 call came in at 7:13 p.m.; officers Fritsch and Hatch arrived about two minutes later, and Mapleton Fire and EMS were on scene about one minute after that.

The quick arrival, Chief Jackson said, contributed to the outcome but did not alone determine it: "By the time we got there, the father of this little girl had had her out on the front lawn doing CPR," Captain Evans told the council, and Officer Fritsch "took over, did an amazing job." Mayor and staff presented plaques to the two children who first alerted adults and rescued the child.

The chief said the transport time from dispatch until arrival at Utah Valley Hospital was 24 minutes and that the on-route care included multiple procedures and coordination among paramedics and EMTs. He named several staff who responded: Shannon Thomas, Jeff Bates and lead paramedic Dave Chase, and described how newer crew members received on-scene direction during a high-stress call.

Council members and the chief emphasized the community response alongside formal emergency services, and the chief confirmed in remarks to the council that the rescued child was doing well. The city presented commemorative plaques to recognize the civilians' actions and to encourage bystander intervention in emergencies.

The city did not propose policy changes during the recognition; Chief Jackson and councilmembers said the presentation was an expression of gratitude and community support.