If a front hadn't blown in May 7, Mark Hahn would have been out riding his old Harley chopper.
If his chain saw blade hadn't become wedged in a tree and gone silent, precious seconds would have passed before he heard the screams from his neighbor's backyard.
The 47-year-old had just freed the blade when he heard the panic and saw people frantically waving arms to get his attention.
Hahn, a Wichita fire captain with extensive first aid experience, jumped into his pickup and zoomed 600 feet to his neighbor's house. Dozens of people had gathered for a family reunion in the 1100 block of North 199th Street West, in western Sedgwick County.
His first thought: Someone had
had a heart attack. But as he neared an above-ground pool with a wooden deck, he learned a boy had been pulled -- not breathing -- from the water.
That afternoon would become a textbook example of how everything can go right, of how people can work together in a rescue relay.
It would also serve as a reminder, authorities say, of how a child can end up in a pool even though people are trying to watch him.
"Even being supervised, these things still happen," Hahn says. "Those things can happen to anybody, anytime."
He talked about the near-drowning a few days after the rescue.
He thought back to the experience as he sat on the shiny front bumper of Engine No. 10 at the fire station at 17th and Grove, where he has worked almost 20 years. His blue eyes watched the busy traffic.
He politely made it clear that he's uncomfortable talking about himself.
He wanted it known that he was only one of many people who helped the 3-year-old boy.
When Hahn hurried over to the pool that Saturday, relatives were already trying to do CPR on Colton Horsch, who was visiting from Viola.
In almost three decades as a firefighter, Hahn has seen plenty of people without a pulse. Even off-duty, he has done CPR, once to a heart attack victim at the State Fair.
"As soon as I saw that little boy, I knew he was in a bad way." Colton's face was ashen.
Hahn took over CPR efforts. "I just kind of butted in."
He reacted as he was trained to do. "You don't even think about it," he says.
First, he checked Colton's airway. He knows you can't get someone breathing again until the airway is open.
He could tell there was an obstruction, so he cradled Colton in one arm.
Raised veins crisscross Hahn's muscular forearms. He has been lifting weights for 27 years, since he became a firefighter. Staying fit is part of the job.
In one arm, he lifted the boy, keeping his head down. Soon, food was spilling out of Colton's mouth.
Hahn also did something that seems simple, yet can make all the difference in an emergency.
As he started to do CPR, he asked if somebody had called 911. They had.
With the help of a law enforcement officer -- several responded to the 911 call -- he relayed to a dispatcher that EMS needed to be prepared for a "code blue" child, meaning not breathing, no heartbeat.
And he wanted the EMS crew to know that they needed to have a suction tool ready.
Soon, county firefighters and paramedics arrived and took over.
"They did everything absolutely perfect," Hahn says.
As the boy was being taken to the hospital, his condition improved, Hahn learned later.
On Friday, Colton was in fair condition at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus.
His family declined to comment but said through the hospital that they consider his survival a miracle.
They thanked those who helped in the rescue and those who have supported the family since then.
Apparently someone at the house knew to get Hahn because of his first aid training, says sheriff's Sgt. Mike McGee.
Although others aided in the rescue, McGee says, Hahn was "instrumental in the life-saving."
It wasn't clear how the accident happened, but McGee says: "There didn't appear to be any negligence.
"It was just an extremely unfortunate accident."
It also wasn't clear how long the boy had been in the pool. Hahn says it must not have been too long; otherwise, the boy wouldn't be doing so well.
Hahn says he knows from experience that no matter how closely adults watch children, accidents still occur, especially around water.
It's the time of year -- people heading outdoors, swimming and boating -- when Wichita fire Capt. Darren Dysart has to be ready. He supervises a water rescue team.
It might help, Dysart says, to think about what you would do if you found yourself in a water emergency.
Dysart wants people to remember a rhyme that could save someone's life: reach, throw, row, go.
Before you get into the water to help someone, try to reach them with something they can hold on to; if that doesn't work, throw them something that floats or row out.
Only as a last resort, he says, should someone without special rescue training go into the water to save someone. A desperate, struggling person can pull a rescuer under the water.
When trying to resuscitate someone, remember that first the airway must be clear. That can be done using the Heimlich maneuver on an adult or a more gentle chest compression on a child. Remember that you can breathe too hard into a child, over-inflating the lungs.
At home, keep a cover over your pool when not using it. There's a financial benefit, too. A cover can keep your pool cleaner and reduce chemical costs.
Post rules at your home or private pool. It might be wise to prohibit diving, to prevent head and neck injuries. Have someone supervise children and someone act as a lifeguard.
And take basic life-saving, CPR and first aid courses.
"With basic CPR," Hahn says, "anybody can make a difference.
"It can save somebody's life."