Lifeguard receives award for heroism

A Centretown lifeguard received an award for his heroism today at city council after rescuing a young girl from choking.

Alan Christie received the City of Ottawa Award for Heroism for his fast response in assisting a special-needs student in his swimming class at the Plant Recreation

Christie noticed that the young girl, identified only as Fern, was experiencing difficulty breathing after a piece of a pretzel lodged in her throat.

Christie immediately administered the Heimlich manoeuvre to dislodge the pretzel and “helped Fern regain a regular breathing pattern.”