Workers at an Islamorada resort are being credited for saving the life of a 3-year-old child who was found and quickly pulled from the bottom of a pool.
The child ended up surviving the scary situation thanks to the swift response and aid by Islander Resort employees Briana Nolesco, Demetrius Andrews and Natasha DeJesus, as well as first responders. The three staff members were recently presented with Community Hero awards by Fire Chief Terry Abel on behalf of Islamorada.
Before the awards presentation, Abel explained the sequence of events in February, when a family from New York came to Islamorada’s Islander Resort for vacation. The family was enjoying the sun, warmth and breezes poolside. The grandparents were busy keeping an eye on the grandbabies when a little baby was beginning to fuss. The grandparents turned their attention for just a brief moment to care for the younger grandchild. When they turned around, their 3-year-old grandchild was at the bottom of the pool. Chaos ensued as the grandparents and bystanders rushed to get the child from the pool.
DeJesus, a recreation attendant, saw and heard the commotion and sprang into action. Andrews, an engineer at the resort and DeJesus’s father, followed closely behind his daughter.
Both began to assess the child’s airway, and quickly realized the child was not breathing. They rolled the child over to the side and gave back blows, at which point the child began to vomit water. Nolesco, food and beverage manager, then arrived and saw the child was still not breathing. The three workers rolled the child over again and more water came up. The child began to cry, a sign the water was out of the airway.
During the incident, crews from Rescue Station 20 arrived in less than 4 minutes. Upon arrival, they found the grandmother holding the youngest child and one of the staff members holding a crying 3-year-old.
“In the EMS world, a crying baby is a good thing in this situation. Parents maybe not so much, but EMS it’s a godsend,” Abel said. “These three employees at the Islander Resort helped save a child’s life.”
Rescue crews continued to provide care en route to the hospital where the child began to regain color and signs of mental activity. The child was then treated by the hospital’s emergency room staff.
“It all could have gone a lot of different without some quick thinking and actions by the … three individuals,” Abel said before presenting the Community Hero awards at the start a March 18 village council meeting.
