Westminster Boy, 7, Reunited With Firefighters Who Saved His Life In 2010

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com)  —  A 7-year-old Westminster boy got the chance to be a firefighter for the day Saturday.

But more importantly, Josiah Kernell got to personally thank the firefighters who saved his life five years ago.

Kernell was the picture of health Saturday. This was a far cry from how firefighter paramedic Randy Webb found him following a 911 call  -- unconscious and unresponsive --on May 10, 2010.

Kernell didn't immediately respond to treatment or a regular IV. Webb and Engine 42 used a new procedure that saved the boy's life.

His mother Darla Kernell says a day doesn't go by when she doesn't appreciate Webb's efforts.

"It brings tears to my eyes to think about how fortunate we were to have Randy and Chris show up that morning. Not every paramedic is equipped to perform that procedure. So it really was a miracle," Darla said.

On Saturday, Josiah was fitted with regulation firefighting gear and he and a friend got to be learn everything there is to learn about being a firefighter -- including shooting water from a hose, climbing aboard a truck and going up in the air in the basket of a ladder truck.