Woman, 80, is rescued at YMCA swimming pool

At one moment yesterday morning, an 80-year-old Russian woman was standing in the Olympic-sized pool at the Oak Square YMCA in Brighton, holding onto the deck and kicking her legs. Moments later, she was unconscious and not breathing, face down in 6 feet of water, a YMCA official said.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was pulled out of the pool on a backboard about 11 a.m., and a lifeguard immediately administered CPR, blowing two quick "rescue breaths" into the woman's mouth. The woman, who speaks only Russian, regained consciousness and was rushed to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, where she was in stable condition.

"There was a quick reaction of everyone involved in this emergency response," said Jack Fucci, the executive director of the branch, located on at 615 Washington St.

The woman is a member of the Zdorovie Senior Center in Newton. She and about 20 other members of the center are regulars at the YMCA, taking part in aquatic exercises on weekday mornings.

Fucci said there were three lifeguards on duty at the time. The lifeguards, all certified, scan the pool every 10 seconds when it is occupied. One lifeguard noticed the woman exercising, but on a subsequent scan moments later, realized she was face down in the water, not far from where she had been exercising. At that point, according to Fucci, one lifeguard blew a whistle loudly to alert other swimmers, another dove into the pool toward the victim, and the third sounded the deck alarm.

The front desk staff called 911 and brought a portable defibrillator to the pool. Within moments an ambulance was at the scene.