RNLI lifeguards save man’s life at Aberavon Beach

IN the afternoon on Saturday 20 August, the charity’s lifeguards at Aberavon beach came to the aid of a man who had collapsed.

At 4:45pm, RNLI lifeguard Joseph Morris immediately responded to a man who had collapsed while cycling. Ethan Lee and senior lifeguard, Sophie Phillips, followed closely behind with a trauma first aid bag.

On their arrival to the casualty, Joseph performed initial checks and found the casualty was unresponsive and not breathing. Joseph used his lifeguard training and started to perform CPR. An off-duty paramedic was also there who helped with the casualty.

The ambulance arrived and paramedics managed to detect a pulse and took the man to hospital. During a debrief, the paramedics told the lifeguards that their quick response and effective CPR helped save the man’s life.

Clive Morris the Lifeboat Operations Manager (LOM) for Port Talbot lifeboat station said: ‘Can I just say what a fantastic achievement by all involved with this incident at Aberavon Beach.

‘On Sunday, we had several messages from the casualty’s family. They are thanking everyone involved with the incident.

‘The attending lifeguard team are a credit to the RNLI. Each and every lifeguard involved was calm and totally professional throughout the incident. They provided exceptional care for the casualty, affording him every chance of survival.

‘It’s true what they say. Early Access, Early Defibrillation, Exceptional Quality CPR along with Early Advanced Care can truly save someone’s life.’

The brother and nephew of the casualty visited the lifeguards at Aberavon to pay their thanks.