On Wednesday 15 February, little Keith Basset was busy testing his skills on his brand new bike when his calf became wedged between the pedal and crank.
His distraught mum Jess Kimpton did not know what to do; so she called her local fire brigade.
Moments after the call 3 CFA trucks from Ballarat City, Ballarat and Sebastopol arrived at the Kalty Court residence to find brave little Keith in a bit of a pickle.
Ballarat City leading firefighter Nathan Duggan said crews spent 30-40 minutes cutting the crank with a small grinder and used the “jaws of life” to free Keith’s leg.
“Keith was a trooper and remained calm throughout the whole ordeal. We couldn’t believe how happy and relaxed he was, which made our job a lot easier,” Nathan said.
The day after the incident Ballarat City fireys popped into Keith’s house to say hello and see how he was doing. After this they invited him, his parents and his grandma to check out the fire station and trucks.
Nathan and the fireys from Ballarat City were so impressed with Keith’s bravery they all pitched in to give him a bigger surprise that he could have ever imagined.
“Although Keith remained very calm about have his leg stuck, he was pretty upset that his new bike was broken, so we wanted to get him something as a treat for being so brave,” said Nathan.
"We surprised him with a brand new bike, and he was over the moon.”
Ms Kimpton expressed her gratitude to the brigade with a heartfelt Facebook post.
“Fireys don’t get much appreciation, but they went above and beyond for my little man and I will always be grateful,” she said.
“Thank you so much to ALL the firefighters for everything you did for us and everyone in the community.
“Keith will be thrilled to ride around the yard on his brand new bike.”
Author: CFA Media