Huntington Beach lifeguard honored after resuscitating man at beach
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It was the final day of the Pacific Airshow. Jets flew overhead and Huntington Beach’s sand was packed with thousands of spectators.
In the midst of the chaos, Huntington Beach lifeguard Taylor Savage went to work, saving the life of a man in the process.
“He was body surfing and he hit the sandbar, and all of these people started screaming at me,” recalled Savage, working at Tower 5 that afternoon of Oct. 4. “I ran out there, and the public was able to help me pull him out of the water. I had somebody wave my buoy, somebody call 911 and then I started CPR. I had to do four rounds.”
Other first responders from the Marine Safety Division soon provided additional relief for the man, who had suffered cardiac arrest and was lifeless when Savage reached him. He was taken via ambulance to the hospital and after surgery to reduce the compression on his neck, he’s able to walk again, Huntington Beach Fire Dept. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rombod Rahimian said.
Savage and her colleagues were honored for their efforts at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. Savage, who graduated from Huntington Beach High in June, received flowers and a commendation.
Her lifeguard coworkers — Ben O’Brien was in Tower 7 that day and Matthew Mirassou was Savage’s break guard — also received commendations, as did Rahimian.
“Yes, it was my tower, but we have an incredible staff,” said Savage, 19. “It just happened to be me that day. I’m grateful that God placed me there, but I know that everyone else in this department would have done the same thing that I did.”
Huntington Beach Fire Chief Eric McCoy said the effort was a good example of the different divisions of the department working together. Other lifeguards involved included Ethan Galaz, Jachin Hamborg, Kevin Barry and Nathan Bradbury.
Firefighter/paramedics that took part in the rescue included Kevin Prentiss, Bryan Garcia, Vincent Paino and Jeffrey Newell, while Luke Kornely and David DiFabrizio were the ambulance operators.
McCoy said he and Deputy Fire Chief Darrin Witt were on a ride-along with Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Team Butch Twining and Councilman Pat Burns when the accident occurred.
“Taylor is so incredible,” McCoy said. “I’ve known her dad for a long time. I texted her dad, ‘I literally just saw your daughter save someone’s life.’ She legitimately saved his life. If she wouldn’t have been there, he for sure would have died.”
Savage also credited members of the public — one man helped her do a round of CPR, and a woman held the victim’s neck to keep an airway. She said the body surfer later raised his hand while he was on the EMS backboard, and was trying to talk and move.
“That was my second CPR this summer,” Savage said, adding that she had performed CPR on a surfer in June who later succumbed to his injuries. “This one was more crazy, just because the jets were flying by and the crowds. It was gnarly. You couldn’t see.”
Rahimian credited her quick actions for helping ensure the best possible outcome.
“She knew exactly when to act, she pulled the trigger and she followed her training,” he said. “She did everything right to be able to give this person a second chance. The funny thing is, as soon as it was over, she just ran back to her tower and continued the rest of her shift. It speaks volumes to the team base we have and the type of people we have here, who really just want to do their best for the community.”
Savage, who came up through the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard program, has been a lifeguard for four years. She is a former flag football and basketball standout at Huntington Beach High and currently plays flag football at Cypress College, where she’s studying special education.
