It happened Thursday in the backyard of a home in Maspeth.
The boy was found face down in an inflatable pool.
His father jumped in to pull him out.
John Manzione, a retired firefighter who lives nearby, performed CPR on the child while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
"With the chest compressions and a few breaths, the baby responded right away, thank God," said Mangione.
"He started to breathe, but he had the gurgling and the water. I tilted him on the side, got the water out and a few more breaths he started to breathe on his own."
The boy was visiting with his family from out of town.
The boy was initially in cardiac arrest but EMTs revived him in the ambulance.
He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital.
Manzione retired in January from Engine Co. 291 in Ridgewood, Queens.
