Dramatic end to a rescue operation involving Michelle Goldmann (33), a member of the Austrian water rescue service in Nußdorf am Attersee for 20 years. On vacation with her husband Florian at Cape Kamenjak, the southern tip of the Croatian peninsula of Istria, Michelle observed two men walking on the beach on Wednesday afternoon who pulled a lifeless body out of the water.
She and her husband responded immediately and ran to the spot to administer first aid. As it turned out, the unconscious man, an elderly man, had stopped breathing and had no pulse. The Nußdorf couple immediately began classic resuscitation because a defibrillator could not be found on the beach. For almost three quarters of an hour, a total of six people took turns giving heart massage until the crew of an ambulance arrived.
Next obstacle: There is no direct access by car, since the beach can only be reached via a small footpath through the cliffs and the few roads in this nature reserve do not allow rapid access for emergency vehicles. The paramedics continued the resuscitation using the LUCAS chest compression system. But despite all efforts, the fight for the man’s life was lost.
Martin Eberl, deputy regional manager at Upper Austria. Landesverband der Wasserrettung, pays tribute to his Nußdorf colleague, even if the attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful in this case: “Nevertheless, that means for the first responders: They tried everything and did everything right, even if they had hoped for a different outcome. ” Willingness to help and the ability to provide this help competently in an emergency are important reasons for many members of the water rescue service to get involved voluntarily and free of charge, says Eberl. “In this case on a family vacation, even beyond the borders of Austria.”
The system, in which emergency organizations rely on the services of a large number of volunteers, is only established in German-speaking countries, other countries rely on full-time staff. Eberl: “The involvement of the volunteers has the advantage that many dedicated people are trained in first aid by rescue organizations and fire brigades and also train them regularly. This increases the chance of receiving professional first aid very quickly in an emergency.”
If you want to help with the water rescue: Info below ooe.owr.at
Source: Nachrichten
