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RIVERDALE — A 4-year-old boy trapped for 15 minutes in a gun safe at a sporting goods store was in good condition Sunday after he was released by firefighters.
The boy reportedly opened the unlocked gun safe, entered it and was shut inside.
Employees at Sportman's Warehouse, 1137 W. Riverdale Road, called the Riverdale Fire Department for help after several attempts at typing in the code disabled the ability to enter the right code.
Capt. David Ermer said rescuers were able to obtain a bypass code from the safe's manufacturer to open it, which meant they did not have to attempt to open the safe through other means.
"We didn't cut. We didn't drill. We didn't do anything other than keep him calm. I had my EMTs talking to him and assessing him. We were also putting some oxygen into the safe just to make sure and assessing him as well to make sure he was OK. Other than crying and being really scared, he was never really in any danger," Ermer said.
The boy's parents talked to the boy throughout the ordeal while rescuers worked with a local locksmith and store employees.
Once the door opened, the boy was assessed by a medical crew but did not require additional care, Ermer said.
"It was an interesting case because we prepare oftentimes for very odd scenarios utilizing cars or trains, rail cars or trenches or things like that. Rarely do we ever consider a gun safe," Ermer said.
The firefighters had "plans B and C, which was to use tools to cut into the safe, but luckily we didn't have to get into that," he said.
Contributing: Nicole Vowell
