Gilley Pool lifeguards Robert Eschenbacher and Ethan Bandy are being credited with saving the life of an 11-month-old boy on Friday.
“You train for situations like this but you hope you never have to use the knowledge you’ve learned,” said Eschenbacher. “Today I had to use it. I’m just glad the boy is OK and everything turned out the way it did.”
It marks the second time in five days Gilley Pool lifeguards have saved a life. The 11-month-old was at the pool with his mother.
“She brought the baby and two other kids to the pool,” said Eschenbacher. “She said she turned away from the baby for just a few seconds and when she looked back he was face down in the water. She said it couldn’t have been 10 seconds.”
Bandy said the mother walked over to him, handed him the unconscious infant, and he carried the boy to Eschenbacher so the two could begin CPR.
“I looked up and here Ethan comes toward me with a baby in his arms,” said Eschenbacher. “I assessed the baby. I listened for breathing, but I didn’t hear anything. Babies can breathe really shallow, so I placed my hand on his chest. I didn’t feel any movement. I yelled for someone to call 911. I started check compressions, while Ethan watched for any signs the boy had started breathing again.”
Some tense moments followed before the infant responded.
“When he started to cry, I knew he was going to be OK,” said Eschenbacher. “He didn’t cry but for a second and then stopped. The mother was crying the whole time. She had her eyes covered. I picked him up and said to her, ‘Look, he’s OK.’ She uncovered her eyes. She took one look at him and started crying again. That’s a mother’s reaction. She was crying then for a whole different reason – relief.”
McMinnville Parks and Recreation assistant director Justin Scott is urging parents to watch their children.
“I tell my lifeguards this all the time but now I’m saying it to parents,” said Scott. “When things happen, they happen fast. It only takes a few seconds. I’m urging parents to keep a close eye on their children, especially when they are around water. She said she just turned away very briefly and he was under the water when she looked back. A baby’s instinct is to inhale when they go under the water. Just a few seconds is all it takes and you have a situation like this. Ethan and Robert did what they were trained to do and the boy is going to be OK.”
On Monday, lifeguard Isabel Kirby pulled a 12-year-old from the water after he jumped from a diving board and began having difficulty. The boy was not breathing, turning purple, and CPR was performed. Kirby was credited with saving the boy’s life.