RLSSWA's Greg Tate with Finlay Lamond and Town of Victoria Park CFO Michael Cole

Young lifeguard awarded for saving toddler at local pool

Each year Royal Life Saving WA presents Bravery Awards to those who have taken action to save another’s life. These awards are presented to members of the public and also staff working in WA’s many local aquatic centres.

More than 10 million visits are made to WA’s public aquatic centres each year and while the vast majority of these are uneventful occasionally emergencies do happen. Having a well-trained workforce on hand, who spring into action, in many cases saves a life.

One such emergency occurred in February this year. Finlay Lamond was the lifeguard on duty at the Aqualife Centre when he noticed a patron in trouble. A toddler was being supervised at the side of the pool by his mother, while his father swam laps. The toddler suddenly ran away from his mum and jumped into the pool. Finlay saw the child running and recognised the danger so he immediately ran from the lifeguard desk to the pool and performed a reach rescue on the child. He was joined shortly afterwards by the toddler’s parents and together they removed him from the water.

Thanks to Finlay’s quick thinking and timely response, the young child was frightened but otherwise unharmed. The rescue happened near the end of Finlay’s shift and the centre’s closing, a time in which it would've been easy to shut off for the day. But he remained switched on and it was his alertness and attention that saved this child’s life.

We commend Finlay for his ability to put his training into action and respond to this emergency and recently presented him with a Royal Life Saving Bravery Commendation.

If you know someone who's acted to save a life why not nominate them for a Royal Life Saving Bravery Award. Find out more at the link below.