Story by Joanne Song, American Red Cross
Saving a life requires quick action and a caring attitude for others. It also requires empathy, skills, and confidence to compromise the safety of oneself to save another. It is this courage, charisma, and caring nature of two individuals in Aspen, Colorado that earned themselves the American Red Cross Life Saving Award that was presented on April 14.
Trevor Triano and Iuliia Mosenz both participated in the American Red Cross Training Service to become certified lifeguards. This training certification gave them skills in lifeguarding and CPR. Important skills they were taught were recognizing signs of struggling while swimming, extracting distressed people from a body of water, and first aid/CPR certification. This knowledge allowed Mr. Triano and Ms. Mosenz to have the confidence to recognize and respond without hesitation.
In April of 2019, at the Aspen Recreation Center, a five-year-old boy notices his ball floating off to the deeper end of the pool. Following the ball and unable to swim, the little boy became distressed. Ms. Mosenz, in the office at the time, recognized the signs of distress. She did not hesitate to enter the water and grab hold of the child. Meanwhile, Mr. Triano, a fellow lifeguard, entered the pool and together, they brought him out of the water to safety. The little boy was unharmed.
When asked about the experience, Mr. Triano makes a statement regarding safety: “It is important for parents to keep a close eye on children near a pool until they are able to swim on their own.” Though it may be impossible to predict an incident occurring, it is possible to prevent one from happening.
The American Red Cross Training Service course was imperative for this story to be a success because it provided Ms. Mosenz and Mr. Triano the skills needed to save a life.
If you would like to learn more about lifesaving classes offered by the American Red Cross visit our website, www.redcross.org/takeaclass.