Fire crew the key to boy's liberation

RESCUE: Fire Chief Colin McKenna helps with an unusual callout.

When a little boy in Featherston got his finger stuck in a lock, who did the parents call?

Members of the Featherston Volunteer Fire Brigade yesterday morning tended to the child, who was "about 5 or 6", after he wedged his finger through the bolt hole in a deadlock.

"Bit of a hard case that one," said Featherston Fire Chief Colin McKenna, regarding the unusual call-out.

"It was a deadlock on a door, and at one side it's got two holes that the lock goes down into.

"And he had stuck his finger into the two holes and understandably it had swollen up a bit, and that didn't help us."

Mr McKenna said he removed the lock from the door and it did not appear the child was in any pain.

"He was quite happy, believe it or not."

Firefighters had tried to remove the boy's finger from the detached deadlock but the digit had swollen "considerably".

The boy's parents were advised to take him to the hospital.

"We sent him to hospital with the lock on his finger - it was no biggy.

"Once the swelling had gone down it would have been easy to get off."

Mr McKenna said he didn't want to use cutting gear to get the lock off, as he would have done without hesitation had it been an adult.

"I was worried about the little fella," he said.

"I really prefer to get these things off but I was concerned with this one and thought it would be better for him to be taken to hospital."

Mr McKenna was fine about being called out.

"The parents were at the stage where they needed a bit of help and who better to call?"