Heads lifeguards honoured

26.03.2010

TWO professional lifeguards from Shoalhaven
Heads have been awarded the South Coast
Branch Rescue of the Month.
Jack Riley and Harley Dengate from the
Shoalhaven Heads Surf Life Saving Club were
honoured for a dramatic rescue in January in
which a defibrillator was used to bring a man
back to life.
On Friday January 8 at 1.20pm, Mr Dengate was
attending to two young girls suffering from
bluebottle stings.
After taking the girls to the first aid room for
treatment, he went to the kiosk to collect some
ice.
While there, Mr Dengate found 59-year-old
Shoalhaven Heads resident, GaryWiffen, lying
unconscious on the kiosk floor.
He immediately went to the man's aid and
checked for signs of life but found he had no
pulse and was not breathing. Mr Dengate called
for back-up from Mr Riley and commenced CPR.
After calling an ambulance, the lifeguards
quickly attached a defibrillator to MrWiffen and
applied a series of three shocks.
The lifeguards found a pulse temporarily but Mr
Wiffen's heart soon stopped again. A fourth shock
was given and the pulse was regained.
The lifeguards continued with the resuscitation
before MrWiffen could breathe independently.
The ambulance arrived and transported him to
hospital in a serious but stable condition. He was
later flown to Wollongong Hospital where he
made a full recovery.
President of the Shoalhaven Heads Surf Life
Saving Club, Carl Poulton, was full of praise for
the two young lifesavers.
"We were really happy with their response on
the day," he said.
"Both have been members of the club since
they were nippers and all of their training has
been provided by the Shoalhaven Heads Surf Life
Saving Club."
Mr Poulton said he was "shocked" when he
heard of the incident but knew the MrWiffen was
in safe hands.
"When I first heard about it I was a bit shocked,"
he said.
"It was probably a bit fortuitous that they got to
the man so quickly because they were treating a
bluebottle sting."
With minimal rescues and a sharp increase in
membership numbers, Mr Poulton said it had
been an encouraging start to the season.
"We attracted a large number of new members
this year," he said.
"At the start of the year we set a goal of 60
members but we actually attracted 70 new junior
and senior members."