South Orange Village President Alex Torpey Sunday assisted in a water rescue.  While in the Adirondacks, Torpey helped fellow vacationers headed for a waterfall reach land, and helped evaluate their condition. Torpey credits South Orange Rescue Squad experience and CERT training for knowing how to act quickly and correctly in an emergency.

As Torpey described the scene, he was playing tennis in a park near a river and a waterfall. "We heard people yelling for help," he said, explaining that people ran down the hill towards the water to pull in the distressed swimmers before they reached the waterfall.

The distressed swimmers, then clinging to rocks, were pulled to shore. Torpey helped assess their condition, and prepared them for transport when the volunteer ambulance squad arrived.

Torpey, who notes that the volunteer who arrived on the scene with a rope was both a chef in a nearby restaurant and an EMT, credits his experience with the South Orange Rescue Squad and his CERT training.

"You learn how to ask the right questions," he explained, encouraging fellow residents to take advantage of first aid and CPR training opportunities, as well as CERT classes.

The distressed swimmers were taken to a hospital for observation and care, and Torpey returned to South Orange.

Reflecting on his actions, Torpey says, "Anyone can do this, but not everyone thinks to do this. Training is invaluable."