MELAKA: A firefighter's experience with parenting helped him execute a swift and efficient rescue of a mother and child who were locked in a house at Bukit Beruang here.

       Mohd Walid Sidi, from the Ayer Keroh Fire and Rescue Department, had rushed there upon receiving a distress call from a neighbouring unit after being alerted that the mother was in distress at about 6.15pm on Monday (Aug 16).

       The mother, who is in her late 30s, had experienced muscle cramps after falling inside the bathroom.

       "When I arrived at the scene, the baby, who is about 18 months old, was crying loudly, probably due to hunger and coldness.

       "I knew the child needed milk after being stuck in the air-con room for a few hours before we arrived," he said when interviewed here on Tuesday (Aug 17).

       Mohd Walid, 26, said as a father of a two-month-old baby boy, he knew how to handle the situation after the team broke the house gate and the front door to gain access to the unit.

       "My colleagues asked me to find ways to pacify the crying child. I felt like I was feeding my own child at that point," he said.

       "My focus at that moment was to stop the baby from crying by singing a lullaby.

       "The baby's uncle, who also arrived at the scene after being informed of the incident, helped me to prepare milk," said Mohd Walid, who was among six personnel who attended to the rescue operation.

       The mother was then rushed to Melaka Hospital, while the baby was handed over to a relative.