September 04, 2023
3 North Babylon lifeguards save man who was found unresponsive in Phelps Lane Pool locker room
by News 12 Staff
Lifeguards Chandler Manning, Samantha Muller and Maggie Higgins sprang into action after learning about the man.
A Good Samaritan was trying to perform CPR, but Manning said she knew more needed to be done. Manning said she ran to the first aid room and grabbed the AED.
"We shared three jobs of doing CPR, ventilations on the man and using the AED and after a few rounds and the use of the AED, we got a normal rhythm, and the man was breathing. We rolled him on his side and waited for EMS to arrive," said Manning.
Manning, who is also a physical education teacher at North Babylon and teaches CPR, says Sunday's emergency was the first time she'd even taken the AED at the pool off the wall in 15 summers working there.
Higgins, who's also an art teacher in Farmingdale, said she'd never even performed CPR before.
"I was in shock and being in a leadership position, I knew that myself, Sam and Chandler, we had to do something, we couldn't wait for someone else to get here or step up," said Higgins.
With the pool closing for the season, the lifeguards say they are grateful to end on a positive note and hope to see the man they saved, back at the pool next summer.