WA Governor His Excellency The Honourable Chris Dawson AC APM, Drew Whittington, Narelle Holt, Royal Life Saving WA President Vaughan Davies
Swift and professional response saves patron at Aqualife Victoria Park
In March last year, Aqualife Centre Aquatic Coordinator Narelle Holt was leaving to go home after finishing for the day when she was alerted to an emergency unfolding in the female changerooms.
A patron, Aleisha, had been found unresponsive by another member who then alerted customer service and swim school staff to help.
Lifeguard Drew Whittington heard the call and brought oxygen and a defibrillator to the changerooms immediately. Narelle, who was supposed to be collecting her son, dropped everything and joined the effort, entering the changeroom to assist.
Aleisha was breathing with short, sharp breaths but remained unresponsive. Narelle and another team member rolled her into the recovery position, administered oxygen and monitored her condition using a pulse oximeter.
When Aleisha’s breathing became ineffective and her oxygen levels dropped, Narelle and Drew commenced CPR. Thanks to their quick response, Aleisha had regained consciousness by the time an ambulance arrived, and she went on to make a full recovery.
This was an excellent collaborative response by the team, who reacted to this emergency in line with their training. Drew and Narelle were both awarded with a Royal Life Saving Gold Medallion Bravery Award, their actions exemplifying the highest standards of care and teamwork.
Drew, who is humble about receiving the award, says he has been involved in similar situations before through his work as a lifeguard.
“I was concerned, but calm. It’s just a matter of going through the steps and going through the stuff you’ve been taught. It all comes back to you – you think you don’t remember it and then as soon as the situation comes up it’s in the back of your head.”
Drew believes everyone should have at least some basic first aid training to be able to help out in an emergency situation.
“It’s inexpensive training and it’s definitely worth it. I couldn’t imagine myself in a situation like that where I’m helpless. I always want to be of some kind of help in those situations.”
Narelle, who has worked in the recreation industry for 30 years, agrees, saying she loves being able to help people who may not be able to help themselves. Her advice to those who may find themselves in a similar situation is simply to “Be brave and do something. It might be the thing that saves their life.”
If you’d like to equip yourself with the skills that could save someone’s life, enrol in a first aid or CPR course today! Find a course near you at the link below.
