Rose Bowl Aquatic Center Lifeguard Honored as Red Cross ‘Hometown Hero

A lifeguard from the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center in Pasadena was among 13 individuals and organizations honored by the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region as a “Hometown Hero” for his role in the rescue of a man who had a heart attack while swimming laps.

Matt Juranek is credited with helping save the life of a man at the aquatic center in December, according to the Red Cross. He was formally recognized by the organization during its 16th Annual Hometown Heroes Awards on Thursday.

“During a work break at Matt Juranek’s Rose Bowl Aquatic Center lifeguard job, a man swimming laps lost consciousness, prompting Juranek to coordinate and delegate emergency procedures with the other lifeguards, all while conducting CPR until EMS help arrived,” the Red Cross said in a written statement. “Juranek’s Red Cross CPR training, along with his quick and coordinated response efforts, saved the swimmer from both a cardiovascular incident and drowning.”

Juranek was also honored with the Red Cross Lifesaving Award for the rescue in June for his response to the incident.

He was in the break room when he heard a horn sound, indicating an emergency” he recalled.

“When we ran out, I saw one of the patrons bringing the victim to the wall, and the lifeguard was assisting him,” Juranek said. “I ran and used the backboard to help extract the victim from the water… to get him from the pool onto the deck,” where coworkers and he had started to do CPR.

Upon receiving the Lifesaving Award in June, Juranek insisted the rescue was a team effort and thanked everyone who took part.

Juranek was able to visit the recovering victim in the hospital afterward, he said.

It was not his first rescue.

Juranek had suffered a shoulder dislocation diving into a pool in El Monte to pull up two little girls who had submerged, he said.

“I’m glad I was able to help rescue these people and make sure that they can live their lives to their fullest,” he said. “But it’s more about: I was just doing a job and I was there to do my job and make sure everyone was safe.”

The 13 Hometown Hero honorees come from all walks of life, said Red Cross Los Angeles Region spokeswoman Marium Mahiuddin.

“They are the average person. It’s you and me, it’s our neighbor, it’s the person sitting beside us who saw someone in need and then responded to it,” she said.

“Generally, we at the Red Cross hear a story almost every day of a heroic act or a kind act or an act of compassion,” Mahiuddin said. “And this is just one of the paths that we’ve taken to help acknowledge that.”

Thursday’s awards ceremony was switched to an online format this year due to the pandemic.

More information on this year’s Red Cross Los Angeles Region Hometown Heroes awards, including a video of the event, is available online at e.givesmart.com/events/iVL/.