A City of Evanston Recreation Division lifeguard rescued a motionless toddler found face down in the water at Lee Street Beach on July 16. After jumping from his post, the lifeguard removed the child from the water to perform first aid techniques and revived her.
The Evanston Fire Department firefighter/paramedic team met the lifeguard at the main entrance of the beach. Although she was stable at the time, because of her young age, the girl was taken to Evanston Hospital, where she was released several hours later.
“It was a textbook operation. The lifeguard responded quickly and did a great job,” said Douglas Gaynor, director of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department in the press release. Each season, he said, lifeguards make several rescues. This gathered more attention because of the young age of the child and the large number of visitors at the beach that day.