OCEAN CITY – A local security guard became a hero of sorts last Thursday evening, when he played a major role in saving the life of a seven-week-old infant that was rushed into his office.
Barry Pryor, security guard at the Sea Watch Condominiums on 115th Street, was in the midst of a typical night at work last Thursday evening when a pair of renters rushed into the office, holding their infant.
“They ran the baby down to the office, they were in hysterics,” recalled Pryor.
Rightly so, the parents were visibly upset by the state of their baby, who was gray and not breathing. The cause of the infant’s condition was unknown to the parents, who had rushed down from the sixth floor in search of help.
“The other security guard on duty, Chris Fulton, called 911 while I preformed infant CPR and got him back breathing,” said Pryor. “He was just a little guy.”
Moments later an ambulance arrived, taking over the now stable baby and rushing him to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury and later to Johns Hopkins.
“I don’t really know anymore from there,” said Pryor, who did not know the name of the baby or of the parents.
CRP certification is not a requirement of the job, particularly not infant CPR, a delicate procedure to perform. Pryor brought his emergency and CPR training with him from his years as a volunteer firefighter.
“I was a former firemen in Millville, Delaware,” explained Pryor.
Pryor currently lives in Millville and has been working with the Sea Watch for the past three years. Pryor has two sons of his own, ages 21 and 23, one of whom deals with emergency situations like last Thursday night regularly, as an EMT.
Likely considered a hero in the eyes of the parents whose baby he saved that night, Pryor is just glad he was there to assist them, speaking modestly of his role in the events.
“I’m glad the little fella’ is doing fine and I’m certainly glad everything worked out the way it did and that we were able to help,” he said.