Trainee Lifeguard spots surfer in trouble
Monday, 14 January 2008, 11:21 am
Press Release: Surf Lifesaving Northern
Media Release
January 12, 2008
Trainee Lifeguard
spots surfer in trouble
An early morning surfer is
relieved that a Surf Life Saving Northern Region lifeguard
training course was being held at Muriwai today.
At
8.50am this morning (Saturday January 19, 2008) a surfer in
difficulty was spotted at Muriwai by 16-year-old Piha Surf
Club Member, Sophie Watt, who was at Muriwai for the
lifeguard training course.
As Sophie came over the
Muriwai sand dunes she spotted the surfer and quickly
alerted the two Surf Life Saving Northern Region trainers,
Ross Pounds and Faron Turner, that there was a potential
off-duty rescue situation.
Ross and Faron responded and
located a 29 year old male surfer in lots of pain. The two
lifeguards discovered that the surfer had been hit by his
surfboard when falling of a wave resulting in a possible
fractured femur.
The lifeguards retrieved a stretcher for
the patient and called Surfcom to request an ambulance.
Once the situation had been sorted, the two trainers resumed
the course.
Surf Life Saving Northern Region Development
Officer Ross Pounds says it was great that Sophie responded
the way she did – especially as she was at Muriwai on a
training course to become an accredited surf lifeguard.
"She acted as a lifeguard and responded in the
appropriate way. Had she not identified the man was in
trouble and then alerted us to the situation the surfer
could have been in pain for a much longer period of time."
ENDS
For more information on Surf Life Saving
Northern Region visit: www.lifesaving.org.nz
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