NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - North Adams firefighters successfully rescued two children from the Hoosac River Tuesday evening.

The 911 call came in at 8:00 p.m. and Deputy Chief Robert Patenaude said two firefighters nearby got to the scene first.

“Two off-duty firefighters heard the call on their pagers, they live in the area and knew the river well,” Patenaude said. “Lieutenant Kevin Alicea and firefighter Mitch Maselli both responded to the scene, arriving before fire and police did.”

(Photo courtesy of Nick Mantello)

When the firefighters arrived, one of the kids was hanging onto a tree limb and the other who was on a rock nearby.

Patenaude said the kids may have underestimated the strength of the river, which is flowing stronger because of recent heavy rainfall. He said when Alicea arrived, he acted instantly.

“He observed the need for immediate action, so he took his own life in his hands, and he proceeded out there to go assess those children,” Patenaude said. “He got a hold of the first kid who was holding onto the rock. Firefighter Maselli arrived after that, and he noticed the kid on the tree limb struggling. He entered the water also and was able to secure that child until firefighters arrived on scene.

(Photo courtesy of Nick Mantello)

Once firefighters got the kids safely to shore, one child was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

While Patenaude said the outcome of this rescue was essentially a best-case scenario, they’re advising everyone to always use caution around rivers, especially after a lot of rainfall.

“We're there for the community, and it just goes to show you the dedication our firefighters have to this community responding off duty in that area, knowing that there's kids in danger and they took their lives in their hands to help save those children,” Patenaude said. “It worked out very well.”