Lifeguard urges early alert
Death at beach highlights issues with callouts
Asenior lifeguard official who tried to save a drowning man at Hot Water Beach says it is vital all relevant emergency services are alerted at the same time.
Angelo Tuyay, who drowned at the Coromandel Peninsula beach, was a member of a Tauranga Christian organisation and died after he rushed into the water to save two children in difficulties.
Couples for Christ New Zealand posted a message about the Sunday tragedy on its Facebook page to inform followers.
Tuyay, aged in his 50s, was pulled from the water and rescuers performed CPR, but he died at the scene.
Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter responded to reports that a man was struggling in the water near Hot Rock about 4pm on Sunday.
Hot Water Beach Lifeguard Service chairman Gary Hinds said the service was packing up supplies after a day of training on the other side of the beach when the incident unfolded.
They were not notified of the emergency until six or seven minutes after Fire and Emergency responded to a 111 call, Hinds said.
“We need to be there as soon as other people. If we get stood down that is fine, but seven to eight minutes, in a lifesaving situation, is crucial.”
A similar incident unfolded two weeks ago where there had been a near-drowning on the beach, yet the lifeguard service was aware of the callout only after the responding fire crew called Hinds.
The lifeguard wants to receive a message of a 111 callout at the beach as soon as other emergency services do.
He said it was something he had been fighting for for a long time. “I’ve been working on this for four or five years. We are like the poor cousins, we have the same training and assets and we are the ones at the beach and know it well.
“It is disappointing, we don’t know if we could have changed anything, we have to sort this out so it doesn’t keep happening,” Hinds said.
Hahei fire chief Ian Carter said he was in the second group of firefighters and when they arrived there was a significant number of people and supporters involved in the incident. Carter said that included four civilian doctors and others performing CPR and other people were supporting the deceased’s family members. “I can understand why Gary [Hinds] feels the way he does and it is something I’ll be looking into, particularly how the flow of information happened that day and what can make the process better and more seamless in terms of information sharing,” he said. A Facebook post said a mass was due to be held for Tuyay at St Mark’s Church in Pakuranga last night.