BWI Officers Save Choking Toddler's Life

State of MD - A quick-thinking team at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport helped save a toddler's life on Friday. Thanks to their fast actions, the little boy will get to celebrate his second birthday after all.

The child was traveling with his U.S. citizen parents from Germany. While waiting in the CBP passenger inspection line, he started having a seizure. An alert officer noticed right away and radioed for help.

A supervisory CBP officer and a second officer rushed to respond. CBP also alerted BWI airport emergency medical services to the situation.

The supervisory officer carried the child to a secondary inspection area. There, he and a CBP agriculture specialist realized the boy was actually choking and turning blue. They immediately began the Heimlich maneuver.

After a second round of back blows, the child vomited and officers were able to clear his airway. Two CBP personnel stayed with the child, watching his breathing and heart rate closely until EMS arrived on scene.

"Many of our Customs and Border Protection personnel are parents, so when they see a child in such distress it certainly has a profound effect on them that everybody wants to jump in to help. We are pleased that this child and his parents will get to soon celebrate his second birthday," said CBP Area Port Director Adam Rottman in Baltimore.

Rottman also pointed to the training behind the rescue. "We repeatedly train our frontline employees on CPR, AED, and other immediate live-saving measures to give travelers who experience a serious medical emergency in our inspection station a fighting chance to survive until EMS can arrive."

EMS transported the child and his mother to a local Baltimore hospital. He was reported to be in stable condition.

CBP officers and agriculture specialists handle border security at the nation's ports of entry.

Their work includes screening international travelers and cargo, and watching for illegal drugs, weapons, counterfeit goods, and other items that could pose a risk to public safety.