Behind the Badge
A 16-year-old boy remained in critical condition Monday after friends pulled him out of a pool in cardiac arrest Sunday night and Garden Grove police officers and paramedics initiated CPR on him.
The incident occurred just before 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at a home in the 12200 block of Stanford Avenue at a pool party attended by 20 to 30 people, Garden Grove Fire Capt. Thanh Nguyen said.
Details about how the teen nearly drowned were not available Monday but the Garden Grove Fire Department, in a news release, said bystanders at the gathering did not perform CPR.
Two Garden Grove officers who arrived on scene prior to the fire department initiated CPR on the boy, according to the news release.
CPR then was taken over by firefighter/paramedics, who initiated advanced life support. The 16-year-old was transported to UCI Medical Center, during which time paramedics were able to get a pulse back, the news release said.
The incident is the sixth drowning or near-drowning in Garden Grove this year, according to the fire department.
The GGFD reminds all residents to learn the ABCs of water safety, including CPR.
A responsible person should be designated to watch the water any time people are in or around it, the GGFD said. Use a water watcher tag to obligate the designated person to not be distracted while watching the water and areas around it, the agency urged.
Free water watcher tags and water safety information can be obtained at any Garden Grove fire station.
“Just about 99 percent (of drownings and near-drownings) could be avoided if someone was watching the water,” Nguyen said.
