On August 7, a windy day at Seba Beach, two junior lifeguards had to put their skills to use.
Benjamin and Amelia Gerber were out on the lake with their mother, Lora Gerber, and some other family on a pontoon. The activity is a fun pass-time for the Gerber family, and it’s something they do every summer.
Lora said it was getting windy, and the family had decided they would turn back in for the day. However, before they could get far, they were flagged down by a man on a Sea-Doo who had spotted an overturned sailboat in the lake.
There were two men in the water. One was an older gentleman and his adult son. Both had a lifejacket on, but they weren’t great quality, and the father was struggling with his while trying to stay afloat.
Lora recognized they were in danger and sent her kids into action.
Benjamin, 12, and Amelia, 10, had been in the Junior Lifeguard Club for five years and had undergone extensive training to handle a crisis. Lora said they remained calm the entire time, focussing on what needed to be done.
Benjamin, being the oldest of the two, went right to the father, performing an assist, with Amelia there in case he needed help. Benjamin says he maneuvered around the man, grabbing him in the lower neck area and pulling him back to the boat. He says this is the technique to use, so the victim doesn’t pull you down or interfere with swimming.
Once Benjamin reached the boat with the father, Lora’s dad and her brother-in-law worked to get him into the pontoon. It turned out to be a bit of a struggle.
“He could not help whatsoever. He was disoriented; he didn’t even know where his cabin was,” says Lora.
In the end, Benjamin had to push him up out of the water while the others hauled him into the pontoon. Lora says they assessed the man, looking for injuries. “He was just in shock. We don’t know how long they were in the water for,” she says.
Benjamin says while he was working, he focused on his training. “[I had to] remember my training and stay as calm as I could be. That way I’m not drowning him, rather than trying to save him.”
While they were doing this, Amelia swam out to pick up any loose items in the lake, such as a hat or lifejackets. “My sister is the clean-up-crew,” says Benjamin.
Lora says once they had the father safe, they kept their eye on the son, who they could see was getting tired. His life jacket also wasn’t ideal and he’d been keeping his dad safe in the water for an unknown amount of time.
Eventually, the son and the man on the Sea-Doo managed to flip the boat back up. The son climbed onto the Sea-Doo and then got into the boat.
Lora says they went in the general direction the father had given them. Eventually, they came across a dock where a woman was waving frantically to get their attention.
“I was so proud of them,” says Lora. “They never even hesitated.”
“They reacted, stayed calm, and did what they were trained to do,” says Lora.
Benjamin says he would recommend Junior Lifeguards for everyone, even if it’s only for a year or two. “People need to learn how to swim, and if there is somebody drowning, you know how to keep them afloat,” he says.
Desiree Janzen, the coach of the Junior Lifeguard Club at Park Valley Pool, says the program teaches kids life-saving skills in and around water. She says there are competitions, but she says the program is not just about competition.
“A lot of the stuff we do in the events, you can take that and [apply it] if you see somebody in distress in the water,” she says.
Janzen says the life jackets the father and son were using were the type that inflates when it comes into contact with water. “They’re not the best life jackets in the world, but they are better than nothing,” says Janzen.
Janzen says it was amazing they were able to help the man out without putting themselves in harm’s way. “They deserve to be recognized,” she says. “I’m very proud of them.”
She says she is contacting the Life Saving Society to share Benjamin and Amelia’s accomplishments. The society does award medals and Janzen hopes the kids’ actions will qualify for one. “I’m hoping that they will get recognized through the Life Saving Society as well,” says Janzen.
