GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. - On December 29, two volunteer firefighters responded to a call for help.
Ashley Rowe and AJ Hamilton received the call that a 12-year-old girl had fallen into an icy retention pond. They sprang into action.
“She was screaming at the top of her lungs and I’m screaming back, 'Hold on, I’m coming, I’m coming',” said Hamilton.
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Hamilton went out onto the ice first, then Rowe. The girl was panicking, and couldn't hold her head above the water.
“We were just using all our strength to hold her up, bust ice with our elbows and hands and get back to shore because the water was well over our head when we were out there,” said Hamilton.
The two men were able to get the girl out safely, but they said time was of the essence.
“It wasn’t any thought of well we should wait, she didn’t have any time for us to wait,” said Rowe.
Both firefighters were adamant- they're not heroes.
“I don’t think of myself as a hero," said Hamilton. "We train for this stuff, we train to fight fire, we train for rescues, that's what we do."
