CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. β Three teenage lifeguards at Pocahontas State Park Pool told CBS 6 that they experienced heat-related medical emergencies Friday while working during extreme temperatures that felt over 100 degrees.
The lifeguards we spoke with described a chaotic scene where several staff members collapsed, with at least two requiring hospital transport.
Ethan Ocheltree said he had to rescue a fellow lifeguard who collapsed and became unresponsive in the pool.
"I went off the stand and fell unconscious, and I had to get in the pool and drag her out, and she was unresponsive, unconscious," Ocheltree said.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which operates the facility, confirmed that the lifeguard was taken to the hospital. No update has been provided on her condition.
"It was a lot. It was stressful in the moment, for sure, especially with everyone running around," Ocheltree said.
After returning to his post when the pool reopened, Ocheltree began experiencing symptoms himself.
"Headache. Couldn't really think straight. Just didn't know what was going on," Ocheltree said.
Shortly after, he said he lost consciousness while on the lifeguard stand.
"I was looking at the pool, and I just woke up, and everyone was around me yelling, and I was carried off stand and carried in the guard room. I was super confused," Ocheltree said.
He said he was eventually moved to an air-conditioned break room to cool down and wait for emergency medical services, who diagnosed him with a heat-related illness and advised him to stay out of the sun.
Christos Anson, another lifeguard, said he experienced similar symptoms during an earlier rotation.
"Arms were very weak. My knees were given out. My head, my eyes were shutting a little bit, and it's like, I just need to make it inside," Anson said.
Anson was able to cool down without needing emergency medical attention.
Reaghan Porterfield said she continued working while watching several coworkers fall ill.
"It was making me definitely feel a little nervous. I didn't know if it was gonna happen to me, and I just wanted everyone to be safe," Porterfield said.
Four hours into her shift, Porterfield said she knew something wasn't right.
"I felt myself getting just more weak, so I knew I just had to go," Porterfield said.
She said she collapsed walking to her car and said she had a panic attack after witnessing the day's events.
"I couldn't breathe. I couldn't really open my eyes. I was crying. Everything was just hitting me at once, and then also the heat so I felt like I was fainting. I couldn't really hold myself up," Porterfield said.
Porterfield was transported to the hospital where she said doctors treated her for dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Several of the teens said their breaks that day were cut from 30 minutes to 15. They said they had access to air conditioning and water bottles, and some stations had umbrellas, but not all.
"You tilt the umbrella forward to keep the sun from coming into your vision. But besides that, your whole entire body is exposed to the sun," Anson said.
DCR officials told CBS 6 they had safety measures in place that day, including 45-minute rotations followed by 30-minute breaks, access to umbrellas, air-conditioned rest areas, hydration training, and the option for lifeguards to cool off in the pool.
They said the pool closed briefly twice Friday but remained open the rest of the day.
SwimMetro, the pool's private staffing company, said pool closure decisions are made jointly by the Park Ranger and the on-site SwimMetro manager. They added that no other heat-related incidents were reported at the other facilities they operate that day.
In a statement, SwimMetro wrote: "Our lifeguards are our greatest asset, and their safety is, has been, and always will be a top priority."
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