Batavia City Council honors lifeguards for saving swimmer

Quarry Beach crew made the rescue July 9

BATAVIA – Lifeguards from Batavia’s Harold Hall Quarry Beach pool who saved the life of a swimmer were honored July 19 by the Batavia City Council.

On July 9, the lifeguards pulled a young man from the water in an apparent near drowning incident and quickly notified the Batavia Fire Department.

Paramedics from the fire department administered advanced life support treatment and took the victim to a hospital.

“The quick action of the park district lifeguards and staff and the treatment from the fire department paramedics were instrumental in giving this person every chance to survive,” Fire Chief Randy Deicke told aldermen.

The lifeguard crew included Rebecca Robinson, Josh Costello, Erin O’Brien, Michael Schiltz, Aubrey Overcash, Eli Schieber, Kyle Oroni and Brody Osborne.

“A situation such as this where they need to pull someone from the water and utilize their training in front of a crowd can be very stressful even for seasoned lifeguards,” Deicke said.

Mayor Jeff Schielke praised the lifeguards for their dedication and presented each with an official city proclamation recognizing their achievement.

“All involved were truly instrumental in creating the lifesaving links necessary to save the life,” according to the proclamation.

Also recognized for their efforts were the Batavia firefighters and paramedics who responded to the emergency.

Paramedics involved were Noah Fox and Patrick Galloway. Firefighters included Christopher LaFleur, Noah Laurich, Adrian Szakiel and Ben Williams. Supervising the effort was Battalion Chief Mark Cwinski and Lt. Robert Hogan.

A statement from the Batavia Park District praised the lifeguards and emphasized patron and staff safety as the top concern.

“We are thankful that staff’s dedication and training caused them to spring into swift, lifesaving action during this incident,” the statement said. “We send the young man involved in this incident and his family our best wishes and remain grateful for the outpouring of support we have received from the community,.

Harold Hall Quarry Beach is an outdoor pool with sandy beaches created from a limestone quarry that was excavated more than a century ago. It is named for the late Harold “Bosco” Hall, who served many years on the Batavia Park Board and was known for a personality that was as colorful as his flowery shirts. The pool attracts large crowds of swimmers and sunbathers every summer.