The Torrevieja lifeguard service completes a drowning rescue exercise at Los Locos beach in 13 minutes

Last Friday, August 14, the Torrevieja City Council's Beaches Department carried out a rescue and lifeguard exercise on Los Locos beach to evaluate the response capacity of the municipal device in the event of a possible drowning with cardiorespiratory arrest.

The operation allowed for verification of the coordination between the different professionals, the correct application of the established protocols and the times necessary to rescue, attend to and transfer a victim in a situation of these characteristics.

The exercise was conducted during peak season to simulate conditions as closely as possible to a real emergency. To this end, a jet ski, a coordination vehicle, and a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance were deployed, along with an intervention backpack, oxygen therapy equipment, a defibrillator, a stretcher, and a spinal board.

RESCUE AND HEALTH CARE FOR THE VICTIM

The operation began at 11:35 a.m., when the lifeguard started approaching the person in the water. The jet ski was activated at 11:37 a.m., and one minute later, both the lifeguard and the rescue boat had reached the area where the victim was located.

The rescue and ashore transfer were completed at 11:39:50 AM. Once ashore, the rescuers immediately began basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and administered oxygen and defibrillation while awaiting the arrival of paramedics. The victim was then immobilized and transported by stretcher and spinal board to the Basic Life Support ambulance.

The ambulance, activated from the start of the exercise, arrived at the beach at 11:43 a.m. At that time, the medical technicians began providing assistance, and at 11:46 a.m., the simulated transfer to the hospital began.

GOOD RESPONSE TIMES AND COORDINATION

The intervention lasted a total of 13 minutes and 23 seconds and concluded at 11:48 a.m. The evaluation report rates the intervention as successful, highlights the recorded times, and notes no objections in the different phases analyzed.

These exercises allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of emergency protocols, strengthen coordination between different professionals, and verify the operational capacity of the lifeguard and rescue service in situations that may occur on the municipality's beaches.

The Councillor for Beaches, Antonio Vidal, has highlighted the importance of continuing to carry out this type of action, especially during the months of greatest user influx, to guarantee a quick, coordinated and effective response to any emergency on the Torrevieja coastline.