BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (WPRI) — Alex Dupuis didn’t think twice when he noticed one of his classmates struggling to keep his head above water during a recent field trip.

After all, it runs in his family.

The Burrillville Middle School student’s parents work as first responders for the Pascoag Fire Department.

Dupuis said he was with his classmates during the school’s annual trip to Spring Lake Beach when a friend pointed out a student in the water who was struggling to swim.

The 12-year-old jumped into the water without hesitation.

“I jumped in and swam to him,” Dupuis recalled. “He grabbed onto me and I went underwater, but I was able to get us back up.”

Dupuis helped his classmate stay afloat until the lifeguards brought them safely back to shore.

“I don’t really think of myself as a hero,” Dupuis said. “I know a lot of first responders save people every day and anyone could have done what I did.”

Dupuis’ parents were shocked to learn of their son’s heroic actions, not from his own mouth but instead from the middle school.

“I think it’s amazing what he did,” his father Matt Dupuis said. “We try to set a good example of, when you see someone in distress, or anytime someone needs help, you help them. No matter what the situation is, you do your best.”

“But the fact that he did it on his own speaks volumes to the type of person he is and who he’s going to be,” he continued.

The middle school is also singing the praises of the two lifeguards on duty who brought the boy to the beach.