A typical Monday morning, November 18th, at the North County Recreation District (NCRD) turned tragic when one of the lifeguards noticed a lap swimmer unresponsive in the pool. The lifesaving training that all NCRD staff complete, and regularly update, was immediately put into action. A call to 911 and the well-trained, professional staff quickly began lifesaving measures including CPR and use of the onsite AED (Automated External Defibrillator) until first responders arrived. According to Aquatics Director Sue Dindia-Gray, “In my 30 years here at NCRD, this is the first time I’ve had something like this happen,” she continued, “I’m so proud of our lifeguards and staff for doing everything they could in this difficult situation.”
Despite heroic efforts by the NCRD staff and first responders, the community member was unable to be revived and passed at the scene. “We want to acknowledge the quick, professional action of our aquatics staff and lifeguards, and our heartfelt thank you to first responders,” said NCRD Executive Director Barbara McCann. “We have never had a death at the NCRD pool, and this is hitting us all very hard right now. To respect the life lost and give our staff time for attention to their mental health needs, we decided to close the pool for the remainder of the week.”
The first responders commended the NCRD staff for their lifesaving skills and for doing everything possible during a stressful, traumatic incident. On Tuesday November 19th, NCRD hosted mental health counselors for staff and the community members impacted by the incident.
“We send our heartfelt condolences to the family of the community member, and we appreciate the community’s support,” said McCann.
The pool will re-open on Monday November 25th.
For more information about NCRD programs, go to www.ncrd.org.