In the interests of fairness

[volksdragon]

...here's a follow-up story to the lifeguard piece I posted yesterday. .

http://news.yahoo.com/s/wcvb/20060807/lo_wcvb/9643146

Comments

[kpht.livejournal.com]

The story doesn't mention where the hell this kid's parents were. Accidents happen, but if your three year old is in *any* depth of water, and adult should be with him. I don't even let my dog out of my sight long enough for him to drown, and he's a dog! and on a leash! A lifeguard watching a pond isn't license to walk away from your kid, he's lucky he survived.

[bookwitch.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY!
We were at the beach last month with my 4 year old, and when my daughter was ANYWHERE NEAR the water, I was right there with her. She had met and was playing with another little girl about her age. The little playmate's mother and grandmother were lounging up on towels several yards up on the beach, half the time not even looking in the direction of the water.

My husband came down to the water to ask me something, and I said, 'Am I being overprotective, or are they just being idiots?' Hubby looked at me and said, 'They're being idiots.'

[scirocco.livejournal.com]

As long as what they're saying turns out to be true, yeah, then they did the right thing.

[volare.livejournal.com]

The OhMyGodSquad, our term for these kinds of crowds, can take any situation and make it 100x worse with BS like this.

People watch medical drama shows on the teevee and suddenly they're the experts telling us what to do. In my career I've actually had to have a bystander removed by police for interfering with my job.

I'm on the side of the lifeguards here. A pulse contraindicates CPR, period. A modified Heimlich, however, would possibly have been appropriate but it's impossible for me or anyone else to pass judgement because we weren't there.

[cfred.livejournal.com]

The other thing I noticed in this article is that the lifeguard quoted laid the boy on his side. Which makes sense: if he has water in his lungs, being on his side is a much better position to get it out than on his back.

Sounds like there is more to this story than the press initially reported.

[volare.livejournal.com]

"Left lateral recumbent" aka the "recovery position", yes. Would have been appropriate if the kid had recovered breathing/pulse and needed to expel water from his lungs.

I agree with your assessment.

[cfred.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Of course, in my avocational capacity, about all I do in injury situations is blow the whistle after the play and call for a trainer.

(Unless I'm a referee and a player is apparently unconscious; then, if I think he was unconscious, I can bar him from playing the rest of the game.)