Training pays off as lifeguards attend to unconscious child at Vernon pool
VERNON – A frightening and emotional situation at the Vernon Aquatic Centre ended well thanks to the quick work of pool staff.
At roughly 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 11, 2016, a four-year-old girl in a swimming lesson at the Vernon Aquatic Centre experienced a seizure and became unresponsive, according to a release from Greater Vernon Recreation.
The swim instructor quickly identified the medical issue and called for help. Aquatic staff immediately provided first aid treatment, and the girl soon regained consciousness. She was transported to hospital for observation.
Recreation services staff have kept in contact with the family, who say the little girl is doing well and should be back swimming next week. The family is very thankful for the quick response and quality of treatment provided by the aquatic centre staff, the release states.
"We are very happy to hear that the little girl is doing well. All of the staff did an amazing job. We do a lot of training to prepare ourselves to respond to emergencies, but when it involves a child so young, it adds a heightened level of emotion. We are very proud of the lifeguards and swim instructors we have at the Vernon Aquatic Centre,” Aquatic Coordinator Gary Lefebvre says in the release.
The child’s name is not being released for privacy reasons.
The entire aquatic centre staff played a role, recreation services says, and the individual instructors, lifeguards and supervisor’s names are also not being released because they do not wish any individual recognitions.
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