LEYDEN — The address of Camp Lion Knoll has been added to the camp’s sign at the corner of Oak Hill and Barton roads, after the town’s police chief said an ambulance had difficulty finding the location when a 5-year-old boy nearly drowned last week.
The sign now states the camp is at 77 Oak Hill Road.
Galvis previously said the boy, who has not been identified, was pulled from a swimming area shortly before 3 p.m. on June 24 by Police Sgt. Tina Riddell, who works at the camp as a lifeguard and immediately began administering CPR while another staff member called 911.
Galvis said there was a delay in the ambulance’s arrival because no one knew the camp’s address. He said the camp is about 0.4 miles from the sign at the intersection of Oak Hill and Barton roads. He also said he stressed to staff members the importance of having the address listed on that sign and at the camp’s entrance.
Steven Rickman, executive director of The Girls Club of Greenfield, which offers the camp, said Lion Knoll is continuing to offer supportive counselors to campers and staffers experiencing trauma. The counselors are from Clinical & Support Options.
“People are very emotional, because they knew the camper very well,” he said.
Rickman, who this week took over for retiring director Nadine Benzaia, did not have an update on the victim’s condition. Friday was Rickman’s first official day on the job. June 24 was the first day of camp for the summer.
Galvis has said the child became responsive and his vitals improved on the way to Baystate Franklin Medical Center, where he was met by his parents. The boy was then airlifted to a different hospital.
According to The Girls Club of Greenfield’s website, Camp Lion Knoll was established in 1958 and consists of 40 acres of open fields and pine forests. It includes a swimming area, a dining hall with an attached kitchen, a craft room pavilion, nature cabin and a bathhouse. The camp accommodates children 4½ to 12 years old.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 272.