By FOX23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — Firefighters with the Tulsa Fire Department rescued a 70-year-old man from a south Tulsa pool on Sunday morning.
Firefighters were called to a house near East 101st Street South and Memorial Drive for a reported drowning after a man had been underwater for around five minutes.
TFD said the man’s wife recognized that she could not pull him out by herself and went to her neighbor’s house to call 911.
When firefighters arrived, they could only see a vague dark area at the bottom of the pool’s deep end due to the cloudiness of the water. TFD said three firefighters then dove into the water in full gear.
The man was found at the bottom of the pool, which was around eight to 10 feet deep. Working together, the firefighters pulled the man out of the water and began medical response. EMSA arrived on scene for further response, and the man was transported to a Tulsa hospital.
TFD shared a list of educational points that can be highlighted through this situation:
- Bystander Action: The wife’s immediate realization that she needed to call for help, rather than trying to perform a rescue beyond her physical capability, saved critical moments.
- Swimsuit Visibility: The man was wearing a dark shirt and dark shorts, making him difficult to locate. It is important to wear bright, high-visibility swimwear, which are easy to see even at the bottom of a deep, cloudy pool.
- The Reality of Water Rescue: Even with three highly conditioned firefighters, extracting an unresponsive adult is a physical challenge that required immediate multi-person coordination.
The responding crew included Lieutenant Guy Kiehl (Company Officer), Paramedic Brad Foster, Firefighter Kyle McLaughlin, Captain Wyatt Lowe, Firefighter Ryan Thompson, Firefighter T.J. Harris, Captain Jason Morgan, Firefighter Jacob Clayman and Firefighter Cody Stephenson.
TFD added that this was a fast-moving scene where every second counted.
