Scott Riddington: Hero lifeguard praised for saving another swimmer at Manly pool
A veteran lifeguard has been applauded for saving the life of a man whose heart had stopped at a northern beaches pool.
Manly
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Authorities have praised the work of a veteran council lifeguard who has saved the lives of two swimmers — in just 12 months — who were dying at a northern beaches pool.
Scott Riddington, a senior professional lifeguard at Manly’s Andrew Boy Charlton Pool, brought a man in his 70s back to life when he suffered a heart attack after a swimming race two weekends ago.
And back in October last year, Mr Riddington led a team of lifeguards who saved an elderly man who had a seizure while swimming laps at the same centre.
Early on Sunday, September 20, a member of the Manly Masters swimming club told friends he felt unwell just after finishing a race. He sat down for a few moments, but when he went to stand up, he collapsed and struck his head on the ground.
A member of the club screamed out for help when they discovered the man had stopped breathing.
Mr Riddington, a well-known figure around Manly who has 36 years of lifesaving experience, and his and teammate Paul Demidjuk, rushed over to the man, who was by then covered in blood from a serious head wound. The senior lifeguard, who ended up with a larege amount of blood on him, began chest compressions while two other lifeguards did mouth-to-mouth.
At the same time staff cleared about 200 swimmers from five pools and called for an ambulance.
Mr Riddington then used a defibrillator to shock the man’s heart back into action before ambulance paramedics arrived.
“After we gave him the shock, he took a breath and started moving his fingers,” he said.
“People had been screaming, there were a lot of families at the pool, it was chaotic, but when he regained consciousness, people were clapping.
“All the pool staff performed amazingly well and did what they needed to do,
“He’s gone from being dead to breathing again. The whole incident lasted just three minutes.”
In October last year Mr Riddington and his team saved the life of a man who had a seizure while swimming and was found with his head trapped under a lane divider.
Within 20 seconds a trainee doctor in the water realised what was happening and called out while holding the patient’s head out the water. Mr Riddington and fellow lifeguard Natalie Kent, pulled him out of the pool while junior members of the lifeguard team got medical equipment ready including oxygen and a defibrillator.
As one junior lifeguard Ellie Gobee, 19, began CPR, another Ella Alcock, 18, set up the defibrillator which automatically told them no shock was required as his heart was beating.
Another lifeguard Zoe Carley, 19, gave him oxygen, with assistance from Ms Kent and the trainee doctor.
“You just go through what you’re trained to do,” Mr Riddington said this week.
Mr Riddington, who began his career aged 18, has attended about 40 life or death incidents — including five on his days off.
The man he saved a fortnight ago had a defibrillator inserted in his chest and is making a good recovery.