HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida – A south Florida lifeguard has declined an offer to get his job back, after landing in hot water for leaving his jurisdiction to save a drowning man.
Tomas Lopez says, “I was on stand and guests came up to me and told me there was someone drowning… People were screaming and so I ran (from my post).”
But Lopez’s now-former employer, Orlando-based Jeff Ellis and Associates, says the lifeguard broke a company rule and could have put beachgoers in his section of Hallandale Beach in jeopardy.
“We have liability issues and can’t go out of the protected area,” supervisor Susan Ellis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “What he did was his own decision. He knew the company rules and did what he thought he needed to do.”
It all started Monday afternoon when a beachgoer rushed to Lopez’s stand asking for help. The lifeguard said, south of his post, he saw a man struggling in the water.
Fellow lifeguard Kalok Geng witnessed the drama unfold. “On the radio, I heard Tomas saying (he was) going for a rescue, but it’s out of our zone. And our manager, Matt Williams said, ‘Don’t go! Just call 911.'”
The unidentified man had been swimming along an unprotected stretch of beach, Hallandale Beach officials said Tuesday.
“It was a long run, but someone needed my help. I wasn’t going to say no,” said Lopez, 21, of Davie, Florida.
The lifeguard ran 450 metres. By the time he arrived, several witnesses had pulled the drowning man out of the water. The man appeared to be semi-conscious and had water in his lungs, according to Lopez.
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“I put him in the recovery position, which we’re trained to do,” Lopez said. He and an off-duty nurse helped the man until the city’s paramedics arrived.
After the rescue, Lopez said his boss asked him to fill out an incident report. The lifeguard had a sinking feeling about what was coming next. “I’m going to lose my job, aren’t I?”
He was right. Lopez was fired for leaving his assigned area.
“They didn’t tell me in a bad way. It was more like they were sorry, but rules are rules,” Lopez said. “I couldn’t believe what was happening.”
“(But) I was prepared for it. It wasn’t too much of an upset because I had my morals intact over my job.”
The rescue was performed about 1,500 feet south of the protective boundaries set by Lopez’s employer. The unprotected area has signs alerting beachgoers to swim at their own risk.
“I think it’s ridiculous, honestly, that a sign is what separates someone from being safe and not safe. Honestly, a job is not more important than someone’s life,” Lopez said, who has turned into an international hero overnight.
Other lifeguards looked after Lopez’s area during the rescue and were on the phone with 911 operators, according to the company.
“The beach remained protected at all times,” Ellis said.
But Lopez’s former colleagues are siding with him. Some, like Zoard Janko, have even resigned to show their solidarity. “If I see someone dying or they need my help, I’m going to go help them. Because that’s my job as a lifeguard.”
The same goes for Szilard Janko. “What was he supposed to do? Watch a man drown?”
“I’m not going to sit there and watch someone drown – we’re lifeguards.”
Hallandale Beach residents are also saying Lopez did the right thing. Nico Mancini said, “I think it’s commendable. I think he should be given the keys to the city by the mayor!”
Alex Lewy, Hallandale Beach’s commissioner, has been in Lopez’s shoes before. “As a former lifeguard for my Boy Scout camp, I know that you need to do the right thing when it comes to trying to rescue somebody. But they’re promising that they’re going to make this right.”
Jeff Ellis, based in Orlando, told NBC News over the phone that Lopez “was a good employee, and I believe he was performing to his conscience.”
“I think he showed a lot of courage in what he did originally and definitely we would like to have him back to work. I hope he would reconsider again,” Ellis went on to say.
Lopez declined. “I told him I appreciate the apology, but I’m going to humbly decline your invitation. I’m going to continue my education.”
Lopez became a lifeguard four months ago after passing the company’s requirements, which include swimming and physical exams. The job pays $8.25 an hour, according to other lifeguards.
Hallandale Beach began outsourcing its lifeguards in 2003 to save money. The city pays Jeff Ellis and Associates about $334,000 a year to provide four lifeguards and one supervisor at the beach year-round, said city spokesman Peter Dobens.
The company also provides lifeguard services at the city’s pools as part of the contract, which incidentally, expires this year.
The man Lopez rushed to save, whose name was not released due to privacy laws, left the hospital Wednesday in good condition.
With files from NBC News
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