by Ana Gonzalez, Communication and Marketing Volunteer

Philippe Eskandar (back) Jace Rotunno (front) by the pool where they performed life-saving CPR.

On a scorching hot Saturday afternoon in late summer, 19-year-old Jace Rotunno was sitting in the lifeguard office and looking out onto the McCambridge Park Swimming Pool in Burbank.  Just two weeks prior, he was promoted from lifeguard/safety instructor to senior lifeguard. This was his first day scheduled to work a recreational swim — a pool session open to the general public.

Rotunno saw an elderly man, who came to the facility regularly with his grandson, collapse while walking around the pool deck.  He ran over to help the man who was still conscious, but breathing heavily. After placing the victim on his side in a recovery position, as he was trained to do, the man stopped breathing. Rotunno immediately began CPR.

“I didn’t panic. I was very focused,” said Rotunno. He remembered having to jump into the pool in the past a few times to grab kids who needed help, but “nothing this serious.”

Meanwhile, a fellow lifeguard, 21-year-old Philippe Eskandar, was making the call to 9-1-1. Seconds later, Eskandar ran to the pool and delivered breaths to the victim while Rotunno continued chest compressions. It was their CPR certification from the American Red Cross that prepared them to be able to perform the two-person CPR on the victim.

Eskandar, who has been a lifeguard for five years, said he felt it was especially important to remain composed for the younger staff members and the victim’s family. “You have to have a sense of calmness. Do what you can. Do your best. It was intense.”

In addition to his American Red Cross training, Eskandar’s foreign language skills were also needed by the Burbank pool. When the victim’s distraught daughter arrived at the scene, Eskandar realized she was more comfortable speaking in her native Armenian. Fluent in the language, Eskandar translated for her and paramedics.

The lifeguards continued CPR until paramedics arrived and transported the man to a local hospital.
Recently, the fire department called them with an update; the elderly man was home from the hospital and was recovering.

Eskandar said he knows the only thing that saved the victim was his and Rotunno’s rapid response. It was an experience that will prepare him for future emergencies. “If this happens again, I will have a positive experience in my memory.”

For Rotunno, helping save someone’s life is a not a bad memory to have for his first as a senior lifeguard. “I think I was just in the right place at the right time to help him…that’s what we’re trained to do.”