New lifeguard, 17, credited with saving man's life BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer Zachary Wismer MONROE - One could say Zachary Wismer dove right into his summer job as a lifeguard. After only four days on the job, the 17-year-old was called upon to use his training for what apparently made the difference between life and death for one resident of the Clearbrook adult community. "I never really expected to have to jump in and swim to the bottom of the pool to get somebody," Zachary said. One minute, the man was swimming along with about five others in the pool, and the next, he was lying at the bottom of the 12-foot deep end, Zachary said. The newly trained lifeguard immediately jumped in and pulled the unconscious man from the pool, laying him on his side. "He was breathing and he had a pulse, so that made me feel better," Zachary said. Though he heard the man wheezing when he pulled him from the pool, Zachary said the real relief came when the man coughed up water and began fully breathing. A Clearbrook staff nurse provided assistance, giving the man oxygen until the first-aid personnel arrived. Emergency workers transported the man to a hospital for treatment, and the man is said to have recovered from the incident. The Monroe Township First Aid Squad confirmed the events and agreed that Zachary's actions saved the man's life. Zachary, who works for Sparkling Pools, said it was his first day on the job at Clearbrook, though he worked three prior days elsewhere. His sister, Alexis Ranzinger, also just started a job with the same company and was arriving with her step-father, Russell Noles, to start her shift at the Clearbrook pool soon after the incident occurred. "Whatever Zach did, it must have been successful, because the guy is alive," Noles said. "It's one thing to be trained, it's another thing to be able to use that training under duress." In preparing for the job, Zachary took courses in first aid, CPR and lifeguard training. He said pulling the man from the pool seemed easier than it had been during training, which is perhaps because of the adrenaline involved in a real-life emergency situation. "At first, I was kind of freaked out, but ... now I'm proud of it," Zachary said. His family is proud, too. Noles informed Robert Goodall, the principal of Monroe Township High School, where Zachary is a junior, of the incident. "He called me down to his office and I thought I was in trouble or something," Zachary said. That was far from the case. Goodall thanked Zachary for his outstanding deed. Another thank you came from the victim's wife, who is employed at the school. She stopped Zachary in the hallway at school to express her gratitude for his quick and critical response. Zachary's athletic nature undoubtedly played a role in his ability to pull the man from the pool. Aside from his strength as a swimmer, he participates in hockey, lacrosse, snowboarding and other sports to fill his leisure time. Though the experience did throw a momentary scare into the young lifeguard, he plans to continue his new job. Zachary said he is considering medical school after graduation next year, an appropriate course of study for someone who has already saved a life. "He's a real conscientious young man," Noles said. "This was a life or death situation, and he handled it."