SUNRIVER, Ore. (AP) — The firefighter, using an ice-rescue sled in its inaugural mission, approached the victim as it kept slipping and falling on a frozen pond in Oregon.
Using the new red sled, firefighter Jeff “JJ” Johnston, gently nudged it to the edge of the pond. The young deer then got its legs underneath it on solid ground and scampered off as Johnston’s colleagues applauded, with one filming the event.
The video has become a sensation, garnering millions of views and picked up by broadcasters in the United States and overseas.
Tammie Waters, office manager of the Sunriver Fire Department, said it was a great way to get training, and save a deer in the bargain.