Sophia Reed’s summer adventures started a little differently than most 7-year-old kids.

Sophia spent Wednesday night in the hospital being monitored after having her arm trapped in a vacuum connection port at the King’s Fork Farms neighborhood pool for over an hour.

“I was swimming and I didn’t know it was going to suck my hand up, so I put my hand in there,” Sophia said. “Then firefighters came and used a saw to get the concrete out and cut the pipe to get my hand out.”

Sophia was at the pool with a handful of people and her caregiver when the incident happened, but the firefighters that helped get her free managed to keep her calm the entire time.

“You could see how they have had some training to calm people down,” said her father, Jeff Reed.

With the help of firefighters, Sophia managed to stay calm for an hour and a half while the technical rescue team used a jackhammer and a saw to remove the concrete and cut the pipe that her hand was stuck in.

“She did pretty amazing, and she never screamed,” said her mother, Christy Reed. “She was crying but listening and doing exactly what they said to do.”

While they worked to free her, they made sure she was safe with a hard hat, towels and ear protection. Sophia was even excited because she got to wear her goggles instead of safety glasses for her eye protection.

“I was terrified, but I was thankful she was above water when it happened,” Christy said. “It went through my head that the jackhammer and those big saws were like an inch from her arm. It was terrifying for me.”

“I was worried there was going to be damage to her hand. That was my main concern, and it helped seeing how professional the firefighters were,” Jeff said.

Sophia was taken via ambulance to Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters and was admitted overnight. Her arm was badly swollen and bruised. The thread marks from the pipe were visible on Sophia’s arm.

“We are watching for compartment syndrome. The swelling was pretty significant, and they had to check throughout the night to monitor,” Christy said.

What made the whole situation better was the level of professionalism and empathy from the firefighters that helped Sophia.

The firefighters stayed with her and her family from the ambulance all the way to the hospital, and they didn’t leave until the doctor came to see them.

The swelling has gone down and she is regaining some movement, but she will have a follow-up appointment with a plastic surgeon to see if there will be any permanent damage.

In the meantime, Sophia is in good spirits, and she was happy to be rescued by firefighters. The family plans to visit the fire station and thank everyone for their hard work, dedication and professionalism.