HUMBOLDT Thane Meadows is in his first year as a lifeguard at the Humboldt Municipal Pool.
Its a job that suits him nicely.
He confesses hes not an avid swimmer, but his natural athletic ability is evident in the pool.
More importantly, Meadows takes a no-nonsense approach to his job. He eliminates distractions and stays focused on the task at hand.
Im just sort of like that, he said. Im always the one who is prepared for the worst, ready for anything.
His actions Monday afternoon likely saved the life of 17-year-old Adrina Slocum, who began suffering from a seizure while in the pool.
Meadows and Slocum who spoke to the Register in a telephone interview recounted the scary affair.
Meadows was perched aboard his lifeguard chair, monitoring the pool, when one of the swimmers began motioning in his direction, asking for help.
Slocum was underwater, relatively close to the pools shallowest waters.
Had she been standing, Slocum easily would have been able to touch bottom and keep her head and shoulders out of the 4-foot-deep water.
But instead, she was fully submerged. Had a passerby seen Slocum, he likely would have assumed she was swimming underwater.
It wasnt until Slocums boyfriend, who was exiting the pool, turned around and saw her underwater.
Im glad he turned around and saw where I was, Slocum said. I remembered standing in the pool talking with him, with my hands on the concrete (side). The next thing I remember, they had me sitting in a chair.
MEADOWS remembers the events vividly.
As Slocums boyfriend motioned for his attention, his first thought was she had been injured.
I thought maybe she hit the wall, Meadows said. She was pretty close to the steps.
In a flash, Meadows blew his whistle, directed the dozens of other swimmers to exit the pool and jumped in.
