Mecosta County man who saved 2-year-old receives prestigious award

MECOSTA COUNTY - A Barryton Man received a Lifesaving Award on Thursday from the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Department. Michael Huffman of Mecosta County saved a 2-year-old girl after he found her in a body of water on his property. He resuscitated the girl and saved her life.

He said, “My dog barked, another kid in my pond kind of just was shocked to see him in there. Shocked to see the girl in there.”

Huffman acted quickly, and he thanked his connections to first response teams.

“My father was in rescue and fire, and a lot of friends. ... I was in fire department for a few years, so I got a little bit of background,” he said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 4,500 deaths due to drowning each year in the U.S., and knowing how to perform CPR could save a life.

Huffman reflects, “I never would have thought somebody would have been at my place. You could be walking down the road and need that. So, I mean, every person out there could eventually save someone’s life.”

Mecosta County Sheriff Brian Miller felt it was a must to present a Lifesaving Award to Huffman.

“Mr. Huffman needed to be recognized for the actions that he took. These things don’t happen every day. And for him to respond, the way he did means that this girl is here with us today,” Miller said.

Without Huffman’s quick response the young girl wouldn’t be here, he said. Miller also believes the police and public go hand and hand.

He explains, “The police of the public and the public are the police. We don’t function as well as we do without having the ability to work together with our public. It’s something we preach at our office. There’s a reason why we’re as involved in the community as we are.”

It is important to know life-saving tactics, and looking into your local emergency training programs can help keep you and your community educated.

“It’s easy as an adult to think things through and use common sense when you have a young child. All that’s still developing and what you can do is just try to educate those young children to the best that the best way you can,” Miller said.