Michigan Tech Lifeguards to receive Red Cross Lifesaving Award
HOUGHTON, Mich. – For heroic and lifesaving action at the Michigan Tech SDC Pool during a medical emergency last summer, lifeguards Leah Komarzec, Skyler Spitzley and Brett Ceane will receive the Red Cross Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders. The awards will be given in a ceremony at the SDC Pool on Tuesday (April 25) at 3:30 p.m.
Komarzec, Spitzley and Ceane used their American Red Cross training in lifeguarding, first aid, CPR and AED to save the life of an individual experiencing a cardiac complication at the SDC Pool on June 26, 2022.
According to the Red Cross press release announcing the award, the patron survived thanks to the quick actions of the three lifeguards.
An account of the incident was included in the release. Komarzec, the active lifeguard on duty, was notified of a patron with chest pains and activated the facility's emergency action plan. As she escorted the patron toward a pool exit, they began to lose consciousness.
Spitzley and Ceane were the other lifeguards on duty. Spitzley radioed Public Safety and Police Services, then entered the water to assist. Ceane arrived with a backboard. Together, the three lifeguards retrieved the patron from the pool. Then, after calling 911, Komarzec gathered the AED while Spitzley and Ceane administered CPR. When a Public Safety officer arrived on the scene, they and Komarzec operated the AED and delivered a shock to the patron, after which MTU Emergency Medical Services arrived and took over care.
The Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders is a national recognition. It is the highest award given by the Red Cross to individuals or a group of individuals who save or sustain a life using skills learned in a Red Cross Training Services course. This action exemplifies the highest degree of concern of one human being for another who is in distress.
"We're extremely proud to present a Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders to these individuals," said Kathryn Halvorsen, executive director of the Red Cross North Central Region of Wisconsin. "Leah, Skyler and Brett, you exemplify the mission of the American Red Cross to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. We commend you and your willingness to help another in distress and respond to the emergency. You truly are lifesavers."
"I don't have the words to describe how proud I am of them," said Annie Bengry, aquatics manager at MTU. "Their ability to identify and respond to an unfolding emergency was impeccable. They worked together as a team with speed and confidence. They each played such a vital role in the emergency response that day and because of that, they saved the patron's life. I am excited that they are being recognized for their amazing acts. These acts would not be possible without the training and resources provided by the American Red Cross."
Bengry will also be recognized by the Red Cross and will be awarded an instructor lapel pin and certificate for her lifesaving efforts.