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3 Island Beach Lifeguards Honored for Saving Man’s Life

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From left to right: Mitchell Grimes, Sean Kieran, First Selectman Fred Camillo, Michael Dorian. (John Ferris Robben photo)

By Richard Kaufman
Sentinel Reporter

On a sun-splashed day last Friday, First Selectman Fred Camillo ventured out to Island Beach to honor three heroic lifeguards who saved a man’s life last month.

Michael Dorrian, Sean Kieran and Mitchell Grimes — all from Greenwich — each received certificates of special recognition for their actions on July 19.

On that day, a Riverside couple, who has asked to remain anonymous, packed up some lunch and took the ferry to Island Beach. The man decided to go for a swim, and waded into the water while talking to a neighboring beach-goer. 

As he continued to go into deeper water, the man lost his balance and footing because of a strong current, and he flipped onto his back. He was being pulled into and under the pier area, where he was being pounded against the pillars and unable to right himself. 

In a matter of seconds, Dorrian, a 20-year veteran lifeguard, who had been watching from the beach, took action and immediately headed into the water. He called for Kieran, who followed as the second responder. Kieran has worked at Island Beach for eight years. 

They pulled the man, who was battered, bruised and bleeding from struggling against the pier, back onto the sand where they checked his vitals and tended to his wounds. Grimes, an Island Beach lifeguard for two years, offered support as the third responder.

The lifeguards offered the man ambulance services if he felt he needed it, and cared for him until he declared he was ok. Dorrian continued to monitor the man until the couple left Island Beach later on.

“Because of their alertness as to what was going on in the water that day, a near drowning was avoided,” the man’s wife said in a letter describing the incident to Camillo. “We feel blessed that they were there doing their job that day… I am sure that if it were not for their rapid and professional response, my husband’s life could have been lost.”

A lifeguard on duty at Island Beach. (John Ferris Robben photo)

The lifeguards humbly accepted the recognition, saying that they were just doing their job.

“I felt confident when we went out there. Once I blew the whistle, they were right behind me and all ready to go. We got the job done,” Dorrian said.

The area between the pier and a nearby buoy in which the man struggled is known to lifeguards as “The Danger Zone.”

“This is not the first time we’ve had an incident there during high tide,” Dorrian said, recalling a recent event where a man fell asleep on his back and drifted into the pier. “It’s all about training. We’ve trained for this run before.”

First Selectman Fred Camillo at Island Beach. (John Ferris Robben photo)

Camillo praised the lifeguards, and stressed how dangerous the water can be.

“Their actions are just symbolic of the dedication our town employees have. My dad always used to tell me, water is the most powerful force in the world. Even though we’re in the Sound and we don’t have the riptides of the ocean, it’s still very, very dangerous,” Camillo said. “Lifeguarding is not just all fun and games. Because of their actions, this family still has their dad, their uncle, their grandfather to enjoy.”

Dorrian cautioned swimmers to be aware of their surroundings.

“Know how strong a swimmer you are, and take a look at the current,” he said. 

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