U.S. News - lifeguard

11
Apr
2013
6:27am, EDT
Rescued woman tracks down lifeguard who saved her in 1964
NBC 4 New York
Eady Rothstein hopes to meet Larry Brickman, who was a 21-year-old lifeguard when he saved then 5-year-old Rothstein's life.
By Gus Rosendale, NBCNewYork.com
A woman who was rescued by a lifeguard when she nearly drowned in a pool as a 5-year-old has found her hero, almost 50 years after her brush with death.
Eady Rothstein, from Ramsey, N.J., was sitting on the edge of a pool at a club near Lido Beach on New York’s Long Island in 1964 when she suddenly slipped in.
"I can picture being underwater, screaming," recalled Rothstein.
A young lifeguard jumped in and gave the little girl mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for several minutes. He persisted until she regained consciousness, saving her life.
"I've always said I wanted to thank him, and I should do it," said Rothstein.
Larry Brickman, who now lives in Florida, was a 21-year-old medical student living in Long Beach for the summer, working as a lifeguard to pay for school. He knew CPR -- training that most lifeguards did not get back in the 1960s.
Read more stories at NBCNewYork.com
"If no one was there to do this, I'm afraid she would have succumbed," Brickman said from his Boca Raton office Wednesday.
Rothstein and Brickman had only met in person that one fateful summer day. Recently, Rothstein came across an article detailing their encounter in a family scrapbook while moving to her new home in Ramsey. So she decided to track him down, and a simple Google search put them in touch.
"I got his phone number. I got his answering machine, and I left a message," said Rothstein.
Brickman returned her call.
"My final words to her when I hung up that day, after I called her back, were, 'You know, I guess we just got very lucky, you and I both,'" said Brickman.
Rothstein said after the trauma, her father made her get back in the water with swimming lessons. Now she regularly swims laps in the pool each summer.
An in-person reunion is in the works. For now, words on the phone will have to do.
"I owe my life, and it's a very nice feeling to finally be able to say, 'Thank you,'" said Rothstein.
55 comments
Great story, I was rescued as a child from drowning in a river on a camping trip and as a lifeguard in Chicago rescued a lot of kids in the pool where I worked for five summers. Many times I would see a kid struggling, jump in, let the child wrap their arms around my neck and swim to the side of the …
Show more
Explore related topics: new-york, life, victim, us-news, featured, reunited, lifeguard, wonderful-world, nbcnewyork
6
Jul
2012
6:05pm, EDT
Fired Florida lifeguard to be honored by city
Tomas Lopez, who claims he was fired after helping rescue a swimmer outside his post, has declined an offer from his former employer to return to work, saying, "I'd rather not work there." NBC's Mark Potter reports.
By NBCMiami.com
The lifeguard who was fired for leaving his designated zone to aid in the rescue of a drowning man will be honored by the city of Hallandale Beach Monday.

Follow @msnbc_us
Officials said Friday the victim of the near drowning will meet his rescuers, including fired lifeguard Tomas Lopez, at 10:30 a.m. at city hall.
Lopez will be given the keys to the city during the news conference.

See the original report at NBCMiami.com
Jeff Ellis Management, who provides lifeguards for the city of Hallandale Beach, called Lopez on Thursday after a thorough review of the incident and offered him his job back.
Lopez told NBC 6 he “humbly declined” the offer.
“They offered me a heartfelt, a real good apology, but I just declined. I just want to move on to the next chapter of my life,” the 21-year-old said.
The incident unfolded Monday when Lopez ran and left his lifeguard zone, breaking company policy, to try to help a drowning man.
By the time Lopez got to the man, beachgoers had managed to pull him out of the water. Lopez and a nurse tended to the man, who was later rushed to Aventura Hospital in intensive care. He was discharged from the hospital on Thursday.
Lifeguard who was fired for trying to rescue man is offered job back
Lopez’s firing ignited a wave of fury among residents who called his termination unjust.
Jeff Ellis told NBC 6 said he had met with city officials to review existing protocols for responding to aquatic emergencies in unprotected areas and would work to strengthen protocol.
“Hopefully we’ll learn and we’ll take added precautions to prevent this from ever happening again,” Ellis said.
Two other lifeguards said they were also fired for failing to agree with the company policy, and four others resigned in protest.
Ellis said as of Friday, none of the fired lifeguards had accepted the offer to be hired again.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Veterans excel on another front — fighting wildfires

Grieving father fights invisible killer of swimmers

Dozens of deaths tied to heat wave over last 2 weeks

Special education teacher keeps job after slapping student

Video: Terrifying highway crash caught on camera

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook
88 comments
It's too late for Jeff Ellis and his business. He, like all other business-minded corporatists, put money ahead of human life. All contracts with him should be cancelled and he should be put out of business. Money-grubbing, greedy people like him must be punished without mercy.
Show more
Explore related topics: rescue, florida, beach, lifeguard
5
Jul
2012
4:49pm, EDT
Lifeguard who was fired for trying to rescue man is offered job back
Tomas Lopez, who claims he was fired after helping rescue a swimmer outside his post, has declined an offer from his former employer to return to work. NBC's Mark Potter reports.
By NBC News and msnbc.com staff
A Florida lifeguard who was fired for leaving his patrol zone to rescue a man drowning was offered his job back Thursday, NBCMiami.com reported.

Follow @msnbc_us
But lifeguard Tomas Lopez told NBCMiami.com that he would not be accepting the offer.
The company that fired Lopez, Jeff Ellis Management, was hired by the city of Hallandale to provide lifeguards for the city's beach and pools, the Sun Sentinel reported.

See more on the story at NBCMiami.com
Lopez, who became a lifeguard four months ago, was fired when he violated company policy Monday, NBCMiami.com reported. Lopez went into waters outside the lifeguard zone the company is paid to patrol after a beachgoer told him someone was drowning.
A sign separating the zones warns everyone to swim at their own risk.
Company officials told the Sentinel that beachgoers in Lopez's zone were put in jeopardy when he left the area.
"I was on stand, and guests came up to me and told me there was someone drowning, that people were screaming and so I started running in the direction," Lopez told NBCMiami.
NBCMiami.com reported that a manager told Lopez to call 911 instead. Lopez said he couldn't just sit back and do nothing while the man was in trouble.
By the time he arrived, the man had been pulled out the water by other beachgoers, but he assisted in treating the victim.
Watch the Top Videos on msnbc.com
After filing an incident report, Lopez was fired, the Sentinel reported.
"They didn't tell me in a bad way. It was more like they were sorry, but rules are rules," Lopez said. "I couldn't believe what was happening."
The Florida lifeguard who was fired for helping save a swimmer's life outside of his patrol zone, turns down an offer to get his old job back. WTVJ's Ari Odzer reports.
Several coworkers said they quit in protest.
"On radio I heard Tommy saying, 'I'm going for a rescue but it’s out of our zone,' said Kalok Geng, a coworker who quit.
Company president Jeff Ellis said that one employee was fired and three had resigned.
Ellis told the station previously that an investigation would be conducted.
"If he was well-intentioned and tried to do what he believed was the right thing, even if he deviated from policy, I'm not sure termination was the right thing to do," Ellis said in a statement.
Watch US News videos on msnbc.com
City officials felt the situation called for Lopez to go and help the man in trouble.
"The city's position is if there's an actual emergency, the lifeguard should assist instead of waiting for a perceived emergency," Hallandale Beach spokesman Peter Dobens told NBCMiami.com.
Louis Casiano of msnbc.com contributed to this report from NBCMiami.com's Gilma Avalos and Ari Odzer.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Judge sets Zimmerman's bond at $1 million

Video: Oops! San Diego fireworks launched all at once

Sketch released in shooting of teen lesbian couple

It's so hot out there that roads are buckling

Lifeguard: I was fired for rescue outside my beach zone

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and
541 comments
How about firing the management company?
Show more
Explore related topics: lifeguard, water-safety, hallandale-beach, jeff-ellis
4
Jul
2012
9:06pm, EDT
Lifeguard: I was fired for going to rescue man outside my beach zone
Tomas Lopez, 21, says he was fired for leaving his lifeguard chair on Hallendale Beach in southern Florida to save a swimmer who was drowning in an area outside of his patrol zone. NBC's Mark Potter reports.
By Gilma Avalos, NBCMiami.com
A Hallandale Beach, Fla., lifeguard said he was fired after he left his post to rescue a man drowning outside the zone he was hired to patrol.

Follow @msnbc_us
Lifeguard Tomas Lopez told NBC 6 that on Monday he was alerted by beachgoers that a man was struggling in the water, which was part of unguarded territory outside the lifeguard zone. He said he raced out to try and help him. A sign warning beachgoers to swim at their own risk separates the two zones.
"I was on stand, and guests came up to me and told me there was someone drowning, that people were screaming and so I started running in the direction,” he said.

See the original report at NBCMiami.com
Now, two other lifeguards say they have also been fired over failing to agree with the company policy, and four others say they have quit in protest.
The president of the company, Jeff Ellis, could only confirm that one employee was let go, and as many as three have resigned, said Hallandale Beach spokesman Peter Dobens.
Ellis said in a statement to NBC 6 Wednesday afternoon that the company is reviewing the situation.
"On radio I heard Tommy saying, ‘I'm going for a rescue but it’s out of our zone,’” said Kalok Geng, one his coworkers who has quit.
Their manager told him not to go and to call 911, Geng added.
By the time Lopez got to the man, beachgoers had managed to pull him out of the water.
"I put him in the recovery position, which we are trained to do, and I had a nurse come and help me,” Lopez said.
The man was rushed to Aventura Hospital, where he is in intensive care, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Watch the most-viewed videos on msnbc.com
When Lopez returned to his post, he knew what was next.
"And I’m like, I'm going to lose my job, aren't I?” he recalled saying.
Lopez said he knew that wasn’t in his zone, but he said he couldn't sit back.
"I was prepared for it,” he said of his firing. “It wasn't too much of an upset because I had my morals intact over my job.”
Fort Lauderdale lifeguard who went missing and then was found
The city of Hallandale Beach hired Jeff Ellis Management to provide lifeguards for the beach.
Supervisor Susan Ellis, who was on lifeguard duty Wednesday, said she had no comment.
“If he was well-intentioned and tried to do what he believed was the right thing, even if he deviated from policy, I'm not sure termination was the right thing to do,” Ellis said of Lopez in his statement.
Ellis added that he needs to know exactly what happened.
“Once this investigation is complete, if we did something inappropriately, we will make it right. That includes offering him his employment back if he was terminated in haste,” he said.
Ellis is expected in Hallandale Beach Thursday to oversee a full investigation into the matter, Dobens said. He added that the city will wait for the results of the investigation.
"The city's position is if there's an actual emergency, the lifeguard should assist instead of waiting for a perceived emergency," Dobens said.
Dobens assured residents the beach was protected and continues to be protected.
"There's no way I'm agreeing with the company. If I see someone dying or they need my help, I'm going to go help them, because that’s my job,” said Zoard Janko, one of lifeguards.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Kids cross border alone, fleeing drugs and gangs

3 kids electrocuted while swimming in Mo., Tenn.

Video: Oregon unveils ‘Electric Highway'

Hot dog! America celebrates Fourth of July

Could you pass the US citizenship test?

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook
567 comments
Lopez does the right thing -- seeking to help someone in distress -- to rescue someone -- and his company fires him? Somebody give Lopez a job -- and a big reward for being a decent, caring human being....
Show more
Explore related topics: florida, miami, lifeguard