She lives. Thanks to the lifeguards Helmut Assigal and Philipp Koren and a triathlete. But from the beginning: A few days ago, at noon, a middle-aged woman went to the sports pool in Braunau’s outdoor pool to swim a few lengths. She quietly went under for unknown reasons and never reappeared. A triathlete doing laps noticed the unconscious woman underwater and pulled her out of the pool. The young lifeguard Philipp Koren was there promptly and started resuscitation. “She was in a very critical condition,” says the 27-year-old.
His 45-year-old colleague, Helmut Assigal, was eating lunch when he overheard the commotion outside by the pools. “I immediately ran over there, told the people standing around that they should let me through immediately and then took over the resuscitation,” he says. His big advantage: he is also a lifeguard instructor and has been giving courses for years, including for school classes. “That’s why I felt safe,” he says, looking back. Every move was spot on. Even with the young colleague, who radiated the sovereignty of the senior: “I had something like tunnel vision, I just concentrated on getting the lady back,” he says.
When rescuers arrived, the woman was already conscious, responsive and spitting out water. “The rescue chain worked excellently, the bather reacted correctly, and the rescue came quickly,” praised Assigal.
Such excitement does not happen every day – thank God – after the woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance, the two took advantage of the offer of the crisis intervention team, which was on the spot immediately. “You’re not left alone, that’s really good,” says Assigal. Both lifeguards are happy that they regularly refresh their knowledge of first aid, especially after swimming accidents.
As a bather, how do you react correctly in such a case? “If you’re confident, immediately fish the person out, bring them to the edge of the pool and call for help,” says Assigal. Because every second counts, especially when it comes to swimming accidents. However, it is rare for bathers to go under “quietly”; this risk is greatest with small children. “That’s why you always have to keep an eye on them,” says the lifeguard, who also runs a swimming school. The others usually draw attention to themselves in an emergency.
Source: Nachrichten
