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Jun 20, 2008 4:36 pm US/Central
Parents Warned To Watch For Alert Lifeguards
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ―
During the summer months, Jana Flaherty spends a lot of time with her daughter at their neighborhood pool in north Fort Worth. On Wednesday, she thought that one of the lifeguards seemed distracted by friends.
"She wasn't scanning the pool like she should," Flaherty told CBS 11 News," and I thought, wouldn't it be ironic if something happened."
It was then that Flaherty's daughter yelled about a 3-year-old boy who was underwater and in trouble.
Abby Petuch saw the boy drowning. "His mouth was open and he was turning purple," she said. Her quick actions saved the boy.
Lifeguard instructors warn parents that they should not assume that a child is safe just because someone is sitting in the lifeguard chair.
Wes Womack with Lone Star CPR explained, "Parents like to think there is a lifeguard, and as soon as you see a lifeguard you automatically think 'I'm safe.' That's the way it should be, but in these cases that we've caught on film, it's not the case."
Why? Womack said, "They're relaxing, getting a tan."
One lifeguard that was caught on film can be see sending a child down a waterslide. The problem with this, according to Womack, "He lets the kid go down the slide and just turns his back and goes down the stairs."
Instructors tell parents to make sure that lifeguards are alert, focused and ready to dive into the pool. If they are not, complain to management or remove the kids.
Of course, parents should also keep an eye on their children, too.
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