Palos Verdes Peninsula 4-H Lifeguard Training, saves a life.
This is an e-mail sent to the Community Leader Dee Keese from the father of a 4-H member.
Dee,
Quite an undertaking you have taken on with the 4-H Leadership. Nancy and I will be returning leaders but let me tell you how 4-H has impacted one youth.
This last Saturday we gathered on our J/122 sailboat Resolute at 0930hrs for a Long Beach Yacht Club (LBYC) sailing race to Catalina Island’s Ship Rock. The starting line was by the jetty at Alamitos bay in Long Beach so we allowed an hour to motor to the start. 2 of the crew of 8 couldn’t be in the race so we decided the 6 remaining would be adequate. The crew now was myself, my son Sam, Dixie Yeck, Russell Grant, Peter McMahon, and Wayne Powell. Both Russell and Wayne have been involved in many offshore races over the years and were a welcome addition to the crew for the 2 day race. Wayne is a retired LA County Paramedic and has a lot of foredeck experience. We decided to bring the 2 bow dock lines with us just in case they were needed over at the Isthmus. As we were backing out of the slip, Wayne and Sam were on the bow to retrieve the dock lines from the cleats when Wayne (experiencing a seizure?) slumped over with a groaning sound. Sam thought he had a cramp in his leg and didn’t think much of the groan when suddenly, Wayne fell over the lifelines into the channel and was sinking head first to the bottom. Witnessing Wayne go over the side, Sam quickly removed his shoes and pants and jumped in after him. Hearing the rapid splashing off the bow, I called out “Man Overboard” to alert the crew of the emergency. I looked off the bow and saw no one but then Wayne surfaced, unconscious, as Sam pushed him from underneath. Sam grabbed Wayne around the chest holding his head out of the water as he swam to the dock. People on the dock heard the Man-overboard call and quickly ran over to assist in lifting Wayne out of the water. The call to 911 was made as the crew on the dock turned Wayne over to his side to discharge some water. He had a heart beat and appeared to be breathing but they were advised to initiate chest compressions. LA County paramedics and LA Port police soon arrived and initiated treatment.
The LA County paramedics and diver credited Sam’s physical condition, training, and swimming ability for his quick reaction to the potential drowning. As Sam was drying off he said to me, “ My 4-H Lifeguard training came in handy ! “
Wayne was taken to Harbor UCLA hospital emergency room and I asked the crew if they still wanted to join the race. With a resounding “Yes” , we notified LBYC race committee of our emergency and they agreed to wait for us to start our PHRF A (Professional Handicap Rating Fleet) race. We were 21 minutes late to the starting line, but for a good reason.
W. Scott Wildman
4-H Sailing and Automotive Project Leader.
