James Stimson, Robyn Chaisty, Makinley Minchin, Michael Phillips, Breeanne Mitchell, David Bodmer and Wayne Weller
The more help the better for emergency at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre
Regular patron of the Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Michael Phillips, was walking laps in the pool one Saturday morning when things took a drastic turn.
Michael suffered a suspected cardiac event, and bystander David Bodmer jumped into action calling for the lifeguard after noticing Michael was unresponsive.
“I don’t know how long he’d been there, that was the worst thing. He wasn’t struggling, he was under water, and he just looked like he was drinking water at that stage,'' David said.
Four staff members, Robyn Chaisty, Breeanne Mitchell, Makinley Minchin and James Stimson responded, along with David and another patron, Wayne Welle.
CPR was performed by lifeguard Makinley, and a defibrillator attached which administered three shocks before the ambulance arrived.
From there, paramedics continued resuscitation before transferring him to hospital, where he was able to breathe on his own.
In the end it was a positive result with Michael making a complete recovery.
Makinley said ''Michael has come into the facility twice now to say hi and he's doing well, so that's been really nice.''
The moral of the story remains to get yourself qualified in CPR and stay calm, or at least that's what patron Wayne encourages others to do.
Having been a lifesaver for most of his life, Wayne says, ''you do all the training and the training, and the training and you don't think a lot of it. But you know, in that sort of situation, your training just kicks in and it's automatic. You do it and don't panic.''
For their outstanding team effort, Makinley, Breeanne, Robyn and James received Gold Star Bravery Awards at this year's ceremony, with David and Wayne awarded Bravery Commendations.
If you know someone who has saved, or attempted to save, someone's life you can nominate them for next year's Bravery Awards by following the link below.
