MOLINE, Illinois -- Two lifeguards in Moline received an award from the American Red Cross for rescuing a man.
The lifeguards, James Hinman and Kevin O'Melia work at Two Rivers YMCA in Moline. Back in March the two helped rescue a 79-year-old man who was learning how to swim in the indoor pool.
When they got to him, he wasn't breathing, nor did he have a pulse. They got a defibrillator and performed CPR on him while they waited for paramedics to arrive.
"Based on our training, we each know our parts so I went and grabbed the board and he grabbed the person... brought him to the edge and we both lifted him up out of the water and went from there," said O'Melia. He said they practice these skills every month.
They were recognized for the rescue on Tuesday, May 28.
Hinman, age 17, and O'Melia, age 18 are both students at East Moline Christian School. This was their first rescue since starting the job.
