Firefighters rescue man from capsized boat

SAUGUS – A fisherman was uninjured after his boat capsized on Griswold Pond Tuesday afternoon and firefighters pulled the man to safety.”The main thing was that he was wearing a life preserver and that’s probably what saved his life,” said Saugus Fire Captain Tom Nolan.Firefighters and police responded to a call at 2:20 p.m. Tuesday of a capsized boat and a man in the water of Griswold Pond off of Sweetwater Street.Nolan said that firefighters arrived to find a man in the water wearing a life jacket and holding on to his boat. Police who had arrived at the scene had thrown in a rope and flotation ring but they were unable to reach the man, Nolan said. He said the man reported that his legs were tangled with weeds and vines from the pond and was floating towards the shore.”The natural tendency is to start kicking, but that will get the vines wrapped around you even more,” Nolan said.Firefighter Scott Phelan donned a survival suit on the way to the scene and got into the pond to bring the fisherman to safety, Nolan said.The fisherman declined medical attention and was fine, Nolan said.At the scene, the fisherman said he was never afraid of drowning.”I just wanted to save the boat,” the fisherman said, declining to give his name. “I could have let go at any time.”He insisted he also could have swum back to shore.But a witness said the fisherman’s inaction caused concern.”The boat was tipped over and he was laying on it relaxing and everybody around was wondering if he was okay,” said Elena Caswell, who reported watching the incident from a chair in a driveway.”I think everyone got nervous.”Cyrus Moulton can be reached at [email protected].