Ō taki Lifeguards honoured: January's daring rescue recognised
The Ō taki Surf Life Saving Club has been named the January winner of the BP Rescue of the Month for the Central Region.
It was an incident that occurred on January 7 that won them the award.
Surf lifeguards from the club were closely monitoring a group of swimmers located 150 metres north of the red and yellow flags as a precautionary measure, and despite the swimmers not signalling distress, the lifeguards identified that they were having difficulties.
One surf lifeguard entered the water and swiftly swam to help two of the swimmers, and upon closer inspection, the surf lifeguard identified other swimmers in trouble and signalled for assistance from other patrol members.
An inflatable rescue boat (IRB) was launched, and surf lifeguards triaged which patients should be brought aboard the IRB and which could be aided using a tube in the water.
Some of the swimmers were being submerged by others in desperate attempts to stay afloat which meant surf lifeguards had to act quickly.
In total, five people were successfully rescued from the rip current.
Other patrol members had brought first aid equipment to the shoreline if required but following thorough assessments, the patients, though shaken, were in a stable condition.
“An excellent debrief following the incident, during which the surf lifeguards discussed the events and adjusted their patrol plan to reduce the risk of further rescues in the rip current that day,” Surf Lifesaving New Zealand chief executive Steve Fisher said.
“Several preventative actions were undertaken near the rip current that day.”
The lifeguards recognised in the award were Hal Sharpe, Max McHugo, Peter Housiaux, Pearl Glanville Hall, and Shea Lenaghan.
The winner of each region will be awarded a $250 BP gift card, and the monthly winners will also be finalists for the prestigious Rescue of the Year, which is announced at the annual SLSNZ Awards of Excellence.