Lifeguard jumps in after child reports 8-year-old unconscious in Metro Parks pool
An unresponsive 8-year-old boy was rescued from a Tacoma pool Thursday afternoon, according to Metro Parks Tacoma.
The incident happened about 1 p.m. at the Stewart Heights Pool, 402 E. 56th St., Metro Parks spokesman Hunter George said.
A lifeguard saw the unresponsive boy and pulled him out to begin CPR, George said. Other lifeguards, Tacoma police and Tacoma firefighters helped revive the boy, who was taken to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has inspected the pool and met with staff, and no violations were found.
A child told one of the eight lifeguards on duty that the boy was beneath the surface of the pool, a Health Department inspection report shows. The lifeguard entered the pool, where the water was 3 feet, 9 inches deep, and rescued the boy.
The lifeguard, who George said was a teenager, then started CPR, according to the report. An automated external defibrillator was used, but it showed a shock was unnecessary.
A Tacoma police officer came from the substation on the park grounds and was on the scene in moments, George said.
After medics arrived, the boy was admitted to the Mary Bridge intensive care unit, the report shows.
The lifeguard who rescued the boy had been tested earlier in July and performed a similar rescue in under 30 seconds, the report stated.
The pool was closed for the day after the incident but reopened Friday.
The Stewart Heights Pool underwent a routine inspection July 19, which only had one critical violation: The water clarity was found to be marginal, according to that inspection report. However, the pool was found to have met the Health Department’s minimum standards.
The water was similarly cloudy Thursday, the inspector found, but it was not cited as a cause of the boy’s near-drowning.
The boy was visiting the pool as part of a day camp not affiliated with Metro Parks Tacoma.
Kenny Ocker: 253-597-8627, @KennyOcker
This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Lifeguard jumps in after child reports 8-year-old unconscious in Metro Parks pool."