Taiwan boy, 3, drowns in bathtub: Dad says 'fake firefighter' in blonde wig & skirt did CPR

Controversy has erupted following a tragic incident in Taiwan on Mar. 16, after a three-year-old boy drowned in a bathtub with 20cm-deep-water and could not be resuscitated.

After the boy's death, his father questioned why a man in a blonde wig and a skirt, who did not have a valid certificate in first aid, assisted the response team, Taiwan media reported.

The father, Zheng, also blamed paramedics for allowing the man to perform "improper" cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques on his son.

Man 'pretended to be firefighter', did CPR wrongly: Father

Zheng, 39, found his son lying unresponsive in a bathtub in their home in Taichung on the evening of Mar. 16.

This was after he had let the boy take a bath alone in 20-cm-deep water for around 12 minutes.

Zheng then called for emergency medical services, but when police and paramedics arrived, the child did not show signs of life.

The three-year-old was rushed to the hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead at around 8pm.

Zheng told Taiwan broadcaster SETN that he was informed by a member of the public on Mar. 18 that a "man pretending to be a firefighter" had participated in the rescue of his child.

When Zheng checked his home's CCTV footage, he realised a man in a blonde wig and a skirt had been performing CPR compressions on his son.

The man, along with other paramedics, had arrived at Zheng's home at around 7pm that evening, and he assisted them in performing CPR on the boy.

However, Zheng felt the CPR technique used by the "fake firefighter" was incorrect, as he appeared to be pressing down on the boy's stomach instead of the chest.

The man was wearing a uniform that was markedly different from the other paramedics from the Taichung Fire Department.

The uniform bore labels that read "EMT" (Emergency Medical Technician).

SETN reported that the same man was also seen at the scene of the Shin Kong Mitsubishi department store explosion on Feb. 13, attending to casualties.

After the video was circulated online, it was found that the man did not have a valid first aid certificate.

Zheng questioned why the other paramedics did not stop the man from using incorrect CPR techniques on his son, saying this is "a serious and fatal mistake".

Volunteer followed CPR principles: Fire department

In response to these allegations, Taichung Fire Department section chief Liu Zhonghe said the man was a civilian who had responded to a notification from the "Hear-AED" (聽見AED) app and went to the scene to help.

The app notifies nearby volunteers on the platform when an emergency takes place so they can provide CPR or Automated External Defibrillator (AED) support.

Liu said paramedics at the scene had instructed the man on the proper hand position to perform CPR and checked that he was doing it properly.

Liu emphasised that no licence is required to perform CPR.

After reviewing the video, the fire department also said it found nothing wrong with the man's CPR technique, United Daily News reported.

The department said the man had pressed onto the lower half of the boy's sternum after an AED patch had been affixed, which aligns with CPR principles.

The department added that the child's pulse and breathing were briefly restored before he reached the hospital, indicating that the first aid was effective.

No valid first aid certificate

On Mar. 20, Hear-AED posted a statement to social media addressing the incident.

Hear-AED said the man, who is a member of the platform, initially uploaded his EMT certificate on Mar. 16, but deleted it before the stage where he had to verify his identity.

After receiving reports from authorities about the man, Hear-AED deactivated his account on Mar. 17 so they could verify his identity properly.

The man uploaded his certificate again on Mar. 18 but it could not be matched to a valid issuing unit, so the platform rejected his application.

The platform added that it does not issue or authorise first aid qualifications, but said its system encourages volunteers to provide first aid within the scope of their abilities to save lives.

Top image from SETN