(This story with 2 of my 6 photos appeared very recently in print and online for West Newsmagazine)
The Ballwin Board of Aldermen kicked off its Aug. 14 meeting with a trifecta of honors for resident Debra Belobraydich.
While walking her dog, Belobraydich was approached by a woman along Kehrs Mill Trail, who asked if she could help at a nearby subdivision pool.
“Honestly, I didn’t think it was an emergency at first because she just asked if I could help at the pool,” Belobraydich recalled. “Then, when she said someone was drowning, the first thing I did was just run straight to the pool. It kind of all unfolded from there. I kind of went into an adrenaline mode of whatever I needed to do to help with the situation.”
The person drowning was an 11-year-old girl who had sunk to the pool’s bottom. Belobraydich acted quickly to save her life.
At the meeting, she noted that the incident occurred at a swim-on-your-own subdivision pool with ‘No Lifeguard on Duty’ signs.
According to Metro West FPD Capt. Matt Coppin, Belobraydich made several perfect spur-of-the-moment decisions in the life-saving scenario.
“There were other people in the pool, but nobody was feeling comfortable to go get the girl at the bottom of the pool,” Coppin said. “Debra saw what needed to be done and didn’t hesitate. She jumped in and got the girl out of the pool. Not only that, (but) what impresses me the most was her ability to think through the logistics of what needed to happen next. She checked to make sure 911 was on the way. She made sure the ambulance went to the pool. She organized kids to be ready with the words, ‘Don’t let the ambulance pass you! Stand in the street to let them know we are here.’
“She also rolled the girl on her side to make sure the water came out from her mouth. She knew what to do to organize the people that were there. For somebody who is untrained, that’s incredible! Without a doubt, Debra is the reason that girl is alive today. There’s no question about that.”
Ballwin Police Capt. Jon Bergfeld was in total agreement with Coppin’s assessment.
“You hear all the time how citizens stand by and expect somebody else to take action, and a tragedy occurred because no one would do that,” Bergfeld said. “As Matt Coppin said, sometimes you just need a leader in those situations, and it’s the unknown heroes who will step forward and say, ‘Go wait for the ambulance or fire truck to show up.’”
While presenting Belobraydich with her second plaque of the evening, Bergfeld added, “You are a role model to our citizens here. Because of your willingness to act, a positive outcome occurred here. On behalf of the Ballwin Police Department, we’d like to award you the Citizens Service Citation.”
It was Mayor Tim Pogue’s honor to follow up with a proclamation from the city, after which laughter filled the room when it was questioned as to whether or not the Belobraydich family had enough wall space to sport all those honors.
Coppin noted that, within a few days, the young girl walked out of the hospital in good health. He stressed that, contrary to popular opinion, it’s rarely apparent or obvious to bystanders when someone is drowning.
He said drownings are silent events despite movies showing a person splashing around and yelling for help. When somebody is drowning, he said, they’re doing everything they can just to keep their head above water. So, they don’t have extra energy to splash around and yell for help.
“As a fire department, we teach CPR, ‘Stop the Bleed’ and other safety courses,” Coppin said. “Also, everyone who graduates high school now has to have a CPR class. Metro West, Red Cross and American Heart offer them, too. There are lots of options to get that education. But those courses don’t work unless somebody takes the initiative to act. A lot of times, people think, ‘I’m not trained, I don’t know what I can do.’ But if it’s a bad situation, you’re not going to make it worse. Maybe you’ll act and make it better.”
Belobraydich said the experience was overwhelming.
“You never expect to go through a situation like that and it’s nothing you plan for. I feel like God was truly with me that day, and I’m so blessed that she’s OK. It’s nice to have a community that supports you like this but nobody really has to go and honor or recognize me.”
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