An 18-year-old volunteer firefighter recently was honored for helping save a man’s life after responding to a drowning emergency in a family’s swimming pool.
Kendrick “Tank” Parrish, a volunteer firefighter with Liberty County Emergency Services District No. 2, which serves Daisetta and Hull, received special recognition during the July 23 ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the new Daisetta Community Center.
Daisetta Mayor Cindy Burchfield presented Parrish with a mayoral resolution recognizing his lifesaving actions and public service.
Burchfield said Parrish was the first responder to arrive at the scene of a drowning and was able to get the victim out of the swimming pool.
Burchfield said she later spoke with members of the victim’s family, who credited Parrish with saving the man’s life.
The resolution honored Parrish for his “lifesaving actions and exemplary public service” and recognized his commitment as a young volunteer firefighter to protecting the lives and safety of residents in Daisetta and the surrounding area.
“We see you and we appreciate you,” Burchfield told Parrish as she presented the recognition.
State Rep. Janis Holt also recognized Parrish during the ceremony, praising the 18-year-old for responding when someone’s life was in danger.
“Tank, I tell you, I love that name, Tank. That says a lot about you,” Holt said.
Holt then pointed to Parrish’s young age and referenced Scripture as she praised his willingness to serve his community.
“Scripture tells us to not look down on you because of your youth. And you have exemplified that,” Holt said.
She said the courage required to take lifesaving action is not something found in everyone and thanked Parrish for having the fortitude to respond.
“I believe that from what all I’ve heard, you were instrumental in saving that man’s life,” Holt said. “So, thank you so much for what you have done in the community of Daisetta.”
Parrish’s recognition came as Daisetta residents and officials gathered to celebrate the opening of the city’s new community center, but for a few moments, attention turned to the young firefighter and an act of service that Burchfield and Holt said deserved to be recognized.
Thanks Vanessa !!! Tank is one of my Great Grandchildren. I’m very proud of his accomplishments !! I tell him to keep reaching for the stars !! For his age he has achieved quite a lot. Thanks again fo the publication ! Sincerely, Mary Parrish Credeur
Tank was a big help, he beat all the rest of the people to our home and we are so thankful, but this story is completely wrong. He did not find my husband at the bottom of our pool! He helped pull my husband out of the pool after I had pulled him to the ladder and I had him breathing with CPR. This story is not true. Tank never got in our pool and never got wet. Thank you, Tonya Alexander
Go to the Sheriffs Dept to dispatch, file an open records request. They will give you all the information you need.
He never found my husband at the bottom of the pool and there is a 911 call to prove it.
We appreciate him and he was very helpful by helping me get my husband out of the pool and on the deck. He deserves the recognition and even more, but this is not what took place at our home on July 5. The wording is wrong and this story is wrong.
My husband drown in our swimming pool on Sunday, July 5th.
We were keeping our seven year old grandson for a few days and after eating ice cream they decided to play in the pool. I heard my grandson scream at the patio door. He was screaming “Pop is either dead or dying in the bottom of pool”. I knew instantly he was serious, though it didn’t make sense because Tony is the best swimmer I know. I run past him to the pool as he screamed and cried and found him face down on the far side of the bottom of the pool. I jumped in and realized he seemed to weigh a ton as I strained to get him to the surface as I pulled him up and to the ladder.
Tony was sunburned the day before, but his body was now white and lips were completely blue. He was not breathing and seemed dead. I screamed for our 7 yr. old to bring me the phone. I started breathing in his mouth, I couldn’t lift his dead weight to get him out of the pool. I couldn’t do compressions in the water. I started screaming and begging – Lord Jesus HELP HIM as I hit his chest with my fist and would breathe in his mouth again. My grandson age 7 didn’t know the phone codes to open the phones to call 911 and he handed me my phone in between breaths in his mouth and hitting chest I called give our address and realized the 911 operator was saying slow down and tell me what happen. I threw the phone on the deck and heard my grandson yell he’s going to get help as he run. It felt like hours before water and bubbles started pouring out of my husband’s mouth. It was minutes, but it felt like so long.
It was an 8 minute call as the operator stayed on that call as we prayed and fought to save him with the phone on our deck. He was struggling to breathe.
This young man was on the deck Tank was helping me get him out. My husband was gasping and couldn’t get his breath. I got under him and shoved him as Tank pulled him up. We got him out on the deck.
I was so thankful somebody was there. So thankful to see Tank.
Tony started throwing his head back and trying to breathe. The fire department showed up and then medics. He was rushed to the life-flight helipad in our town but refused it and took an ambulance. He was rushed to a level two trauma hospital in kingwood. I thought he had a major heart attack and that’s why I beat on his chest as I prayed, every time I prayed I hit his chest with my fist. I remember hearing an echo of my prayers as my grandson back on the deck was repeating my prayers begging God to save his Pop.
I didn’t find out until later in the emergency room it was a diving accident with trauma to his spine. He fractured his C1 vertebrae. He is in a neck brace for 12 weeks. We are home now.
God was in control of everything. Two different surgeons told me the hard hits to his chest with my fist saved him by waking up his heart and making him breathe.
God did it! God used us and saved Tony. I give all the glory to Jesus. He used us all and took control of the situation.
Thank God you had a warrior in you to fight and not except the worst. Tell your husband we are praying he will make a full recovery!!!
Life is short, make everyday like its your last.
Joe, everything was in slow motion after I started begging Jesus for his life. That’s why I have wrote and requested the 8 minute 911 phone call. I have wrote to the sheriffs office and to the county attorney many times with no response from them. I want the call, because I have never felt the presence of Jesus so strong as I did when this happened here.. Everything went into slow motion and God was in control. I know it.
Bobby Radar, why can’t I get that call? I’m calling you to get it!
Bobby, I have wrote in and requested to the liberty county attorney office and on the sheriff’s office pages numerous times with no response. I have wrote and ask for the 8 minute 911 phone call. I have called your office and cannot get it. I want the call, because I have felt the presence of Jesus many times in my life, but never as I did when he saved Tony.
Bobby has his handful on a investigation of cover up by LPD on a supposedly suicide of a young lady. So Im sure he care less about anything else but his Job on the line.
Bobby Rader is the best sheriff Liberty County has ever had. I do not know what is going on, but I will always have Coach , Sheriff, Bobby Rader’s back. He is a good man and my old insurance agent, my daughter’s coach, and a good man.
He would never, ever do whatever an old newscaster is saying about him. I know it.
Funny, how when you speak against Bluebonnet…. Your comments get deleted.
You do realize that your exaggeration that Tank found Tony on the bottom of the pool all that time later could not have happened. Tony would not have made it. Also, if I would have been chatting with the 911 operator and answering her slow questions Tony would not have made it. I had to do CPR. I had to give him mouth to mouth.
Your story made it sound like my grandson and I stood there as Tony lay at the bottom of the pool which is ridiculous. I had Tony spitting up pool water and responding by the time Tank got here.
He helped me get Tony on the deck. He deserves the award for responding so fast, and for being so professional, and for helping me get Tony on our deck.
My grandson did more at seven years old than anybody who showed up.
I do not have Facebook. I can not tell the truth on that exaggerated story. Fix your story.
Your timeline would not be possible and the outcome would have been tragic if Asher and I would have left my husband on the bottom of the pool.
And if Sheriff Bobby Rader were to tell my family he is running for governor or any position there is he would get our votes.
Who does Wayne Delsofino think he is? He is a newscaster and they lie, especially channel 13.
Time will tell, If Bobby would release the body cam that the family has been asking for a long time then if its true the young lady committed suicide then it will be over. Just remember demons are everywhere. Alot of people have skeletons in their closet. Hope it all works out. I’m trying to figure out why did tank except the reward for something he didnt do. You and your grandson should have gotten the reward if anyone deserves the reward. Give your grandson a high five from us for being a hero. So glad Jesus was there to give you strength in this scary situation. God Bless you all.
Asher and I got the only reward we want, we had an experience with Jesus here and we still have Tony.
Bobby will do the right thing. Thank you, Joe.
I want to say thank you for fixing the words of this story and telling the truth.
I want to be clear that I feel Tank deserves awards and will probably win more awards as he continues to help others.
I spoke with one of his past teachers that told me he is very smart and helped other children at school. I believe she told me he will be doing something with airplanes or maybe she said medic on lifeflight? I forgot what she said, so I do not want to write something wrong. Maybe she told me he’s getting his pilot’s license?
I imagine he will succeed and has a gift for helping others.
Thank you Tank Parrish.
Thank you to all the Fire Department, First Responders, EMS, and the three lifeflight medics who were in the ambulance with Tony.
Thank you to all who showed up and helped us on Sunday July 5 . God Bless you all.
Truly, Tonya Alexander