A team of lifeguards, whose combined efforts saved a young boy from drowning, have been praised for their fast actions and quick thinking.
Fife Council seasonal employees Steven Thomson and Craig Early, both 20 and from Kirkcaldy, saw three boys in difficulty in the Firth of Forth from their lifeguard hut on Leven promenade at around 2.30pm on Wednesday and sprang into action.
Steven said, “I was actually off duty but was keeping Craig company during his shift and we saw two boys, who were around 11 and 13 in one dinghy and another boy who we were later told was 11 in a separate dinghy.
“The wind was carrying them further and further out so Craig blew his whistle to get their attention and get them to paddle back towards the shore.
“It was clear they were getting into difficulty and we considered going in to help them but the tide was out and they were simply too far out for us to swim to safely so Craig contacted the coastguard who arrived really quickly on the scene.”
Craig said, “We would have swam out if we could but they were simply too far out and we had to consider our own safety as well and didn’t want the coastguard to have to rescue us as well.
“The two boys in the first dinghy managed to get back to shore safely themselves but the second dinghy was still struggling and was by this point a good half a mile from the shore.
“The boy must have started panicking because the next thing we knew he had jumped out of his dinghy and was trying to swim back to shore himself but he underestimated how far away he was and began really struggling.
“He must have been treading water for a good 10 minutes or more before the RNLI got to him so he did well to stay afloat for so long. He’s very lucky to be alive.”
The three-strong RNLI volunteer lifeguard crew involved in the rescue were Steven Wallace, Brian Paton and Leanne Fisher.
Steven (22), from Kinghorn, whose family run Pettycur Bay Holiday Park, said, “When we got there we were informed the first dinghy had got back to shore safely but there was another one unaccounted for so we went out in the rescue boat and found the boy who was, by this point, very far out in the Forth.
“He was very distressed when we got to him and was obviously extremely frightened but was able to talk.
“We managed to pull him on to the boat and back to the shore to safety where paramedics were waiting to treat him.”
He added, “We’re all just so glad he is okay.”
The rescued boy was found to be suffering from hypothermia and was treated in the ambulance outside the entrance to Leven Beach Holiday Park.
One eyewitness said, “I was out walking my dog at around 3.15pm when I saw the ambulance and wondered what had happened.
“It was then I saw a young boy being pulled out of the water and taken into the ambulance.
“He looked very young and so pale like death warmed up in fact and it was clear he must have been through quite an ordeal.
“When I heard what had happened, I was so happy he had been rescued and was safe and well.
“The lifeguards involved in the rescue deserve the highest of praise.
“The holiday park is usually such a peaceful and quiet place, even during the summer months when it’s busy, so it’s not often we see anything of a drama around here.”
A member of staff from the holiday park added, “We were all shocked about what had happened and are all just so relieved the young boys involved are all okay and very glad the lifeguards were on hand to save him.”
Following the dramatic rescue, Steve Higgins, watch manager at Forth coastguard, urged parents and children to take extra care when taking part in activities on the water this summer.
“Although a rope was attached to the small dinghy it was allowed to drift out to sea and once the wind took control of the dinghies their rate of drift out to sea increased dramatically,” he said.
“We’re advising all parents and carers to be very, very careful when allowing their youngsters to play in lilos or dinghies when the weather forecast suggest winds blowing out to sea.”