Child Rescued From UP Pool
A 3-year-old boy was administered CPR last night at the Holmes Aquatic Center and is expected to make a full recovery, University Park officials said today.
The child was playing in the main pool near his mother around 7:45 p.m. when she noticed he was not breathing. She quickly removed her son from the pool, and a lifeguard immediately began CPR. After three or four minutes of resuscitation, the child began breathing normally.
He was then transported to the hospital for further evaluation, said UP spokesman Steve Mace.
At the time of the incident there were 11 lifeguards on duty, Mace said. The 21 year-old lifeguard who performed CPR has worked at the Aquatic Center since 2007.
Glad it turned out well. Watch your kids people. It happens so fast. Most parents watch with their ears not their eyes. They will not tell you when they are drowning. Everyone should read this article.
http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/
Page loads slow but is worth the wait.
Was my comment deleted because it had a link in it?
I’m so glad that the child was ok. There is an article that everyone should read. Google Mario Vittone Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning. or go to his website-his name with dot com.
The page is slow to load but really worth reading. Most people watch their kids with their ears and not their eyes. Your kids will not be able to tell you they are drowning.
Stay safe!
We were there, and very scary, a parents worst nightmare. The kid was blue when he was pulled out of the pool.. You think you are watching but (recalling) frankly after my son learned to swim I was reading a book or relaxing.
How quickly can the guards realistically be able to observe or intervene?
One curious observation…no UP ambulance or medical services. Dallas ambulance showed up but it seemd like an interminable wait, perhaps 15 minutes. Where was the UP ambulance?
Thankfully there was a good outcome to this story.
Jeff- Steve Mace said both UP ambulances were out on other calls, but through a reciprocal agreement with Dallas, the Dallas Fire and Rescue showed up.
There was a fire at the Park Cities Y at that same time. I am guessing that is where they were. Preston was closed between the Y and Mockingbird.
I’d like to give major props to the young lifeguard who saved the boy’s life. Knowing how to do CPR and having to actually administer it, in an instant, to a child who is dying are two very different things. For one thing, the procedure is different on a child (due to a smaller, more delicate sternum)…additionally, you have the incredible stress of a hysterical parent hovering as you work. 21 years old is pretty dang young to have handled a life or death situation with a positive outcome; the lifeguard should be commended for his/her steely nerves and quick thinking.
In the rare instances that all UP ambulances are busy, it seems like calling HP Fire and Rescue would be faster than calling Dallas. Does UP ever call HP’s services, or always Dallas?
Last time I checked, HP wouldn’t even let us poor UP folks buy a pass to use their pool. The use of an ambulance might be too much to ask.
I don’t think the last comment is true at all.
My grandfather fell a few years ago, and in a matter of about 3 minutes the HP, UP, and Dallas rescue all showed up.
Obviously, the extra units didn’t stay very long, but they were all very kind and helpful. It was wonderfully reassuring that all were able to respond so quickly.
I want to second mk’s comments.
The crowds at the pool appear to be larger than in previous years and there seems to more inexperienced swimmers.
Despite their collective young age, the pool staff is very professional. I can only imagine what it must be like to remain vigilant amidst the Texas heat, incessant water glare, and general commotion of a crowd having a good time.
UP is to be congratulated for devoting the resources to supervise, select, and train a first rate staff that keeps us all safe.
@rwilson, have you been to the HP pool? When my son was little we lived in HP and went to their pool. It was much quietier, peaceful even, I liked it very much. I felt safer there with smaller children because it is much less crowded.
I agree, that lifeguard should get the key to the city! I’m sure that mom cannot say enough thank you’s to that young man.
I have read the comments regarding this incident and I too am very pleased that this child will recover. Based on some of the comments above I thought it might be helpful to provide some additional information regarding the ambulance response plan that is in place here in UP.
As Steve Mace stated, at the time this incident occurred the University Park Fire Department (UPFD) MICU was committed to a fire incident at the YMCA. Personnel assigned to the MICU are cross trained firefighter/paramedics. With this incident involving an occupied commercial occupancy and reports of smoke showing, it is policy to commit needed resources to such a potentially life threatening situation.
Anticipating just such an occurrence and having contingency plans in place is part of my responsibility. In this case, while UPFD Fire/EMS units responded to the initial fire call, our layered automatic assistance agreements with both Dallas and HP worked just as it should.
The first call that came in to our 911 center was the reported fire at the YMCA. Based on our automatic assistance agreement with HP, UP and HP Fire units were both dispatched to this call.
The incident at the UP pool came in shortly after and Firefighter/Paramedics from Dallas Station 27 located at Northwest Highway and the Tollway and Dallas Station 37 located at Greenville and Central Expwy. responded.
Historically, UPFD has been able to provide response to incidents within our City a very high percentage of the time. However, it is not practical or realistic to expect that we will not need assistance from our neighbors on occasion. I believe that “all of us are better than any of us” and therefore have put forth a great effort to enter into agreements that will ensure a timely response to the needs of our community. In these times, regional and local sharing of resources makes sense from both a preparedness and financial perspective.
Finally, those at the pool at the time of the incident witnessed an additional layer of response:
1. Our lifeguards and Police officers are all trained in CPR and the use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). The main City buildings, the City pool, and all police patrol cars have an AED on site or in the vehicle. In this situation, immediate intervention was needed and the lifeguard did what he had been trained to do. He will be recognized at next Tuesday’s City Council Meeting for his timely and effective intervention. The importance of this immediate intervention from a clinical outcome perspective is why UPFD offers CPR and First Aid training free of charge to its citizens and business employees. The first five minutes of a critical medical related emergency can often have a great bearing on patient outcome.
2. UP paramedics operate under the general supervision of the UT Southwest system. As a resident of our City, we have an assigned ER physician that also will respond to incidents when available and assist with patient care. This physician was on scene at the incident at the pool shortly after the call was made for medical assistance.
I hope this information furthers your understanding of how the City of University Park ensures that assistance is provided to those in need with redundancy and predictability.
Question about the UP vs HP pools.
I may be mistaken but it is my understanding that to join the HP pool you have to live with the HP limits. However I know several families that live outside the UP boundaries (ie. Preston Hollow) and in years past they were allowed to buy passes to the UP pool. Does anyone know if this is indeed the policy?
From the UP website http://www.uptexas.org/index.cfm?FuseAction=page&PageID=000106
“The facility is available for University Park residents and those who reside in the Highland Park Independent School District only.”
Not sure if Preston Hollow, Devonshire, etc. people get passes but I do see them there. Perhaps they come as guests of HPISD residents.
I am so very thankful that the little boy is doing fine. I do want to take a minute to say thank you to all the people who were at the scene when the CPR was given. My son told me that he was so grateful to the people that surrounded him and prayed for him to be successful. Although he described the event as “toughest moments of my life”, he said he could hear the prayers for both he and the little boy.
Thank you again
I live in HP and to join the HP pool you have to live in HP. My understanding of how the UP pool works is that you have to live in HPISD school district or live in UP to join. So this would include many more people and you could live in Dallas but be in the HPISD and join the pool.
Someone please clarify for me:
“The facility is available for University Park residents and those who reside in the Highland Park Independent School District only.”
Therefore:
1. Does the HPISD pay money to UP for this privilege?
2. If so, how much?
3. Why does UP provide this access to its pool while HP does not?
Well done to all the guards up there! It’s your job to prevent injuries and help those in need! Well done dealing with the stress of such an emergency! Having once been a guard and manager,I’m impressed with the response. Aftermath, they repositioned a guard stand during visible hours by the steps! Once again, trying to avoid another tragic incident!
T-Bone,
The UP pool is a city-owned facilitity. The city extends privileges to all families living within the HPISD boundaries. The district is not involved. UP and HP are separate towns with separate rules regarding municipal facilities. The town of HP chooses to have different membership rules for its pool.
Thank you to Bonner Morren for saving my nephew. Our family will be forever grateful to you. We thank God every day for putting you up on the stand that night. Because of you we are celebrating rather than mourning. Thank you again!