MIAMI A day at the beach usually comes with the expectation that if someone is drowning, a lifeguard will swing into action and come to the rescue.
The reason was that as Mr. Lopez raced down the beach about a quarter-mile to comply with the big rule rescuing a swimmer he failed to follow a small rule. He breached protocol by running to an area outside his beach zone without waiting for his supervisor to arrive to cover his station, posing a potential liability problem.
The firing, which took place Monday, set off a furor on social media. The private company that runs the lifeguard operation in Hallandale Beach an unusual arrangement that does not exist in most Florida cities was pilloried for letting Mr. Lopez go for basically doing his job. On Thursday, the company, Jeff Ellis Management, offered him his job back.
But Mr. Lopez, soured a bit by the experience, said he did not want it now.
Someone was in danger, explained Mr. Lopez, 21, who lives in Davie, in Broward County, and started his lifeguard job four months ago. I wasnt going to choose my job over someone in danger. My job is to help people in distress. It was a moronic rule in my opinion that they set up. I understand the liability issues, but. ...
Mr. Lopez said he was aware of the rule before he set off running but chose to disregard it, fearing that the person would drown in the few minutes that he waited for his supervisor to show up.
As it turned out, the flailing swimmer was being rescued by two beachgoers who pulled him out of the water on a boogie board. Mr. Lopez said that he waded into ankle-deep water and helped carry the man off the board. Then he turned the man on his side.
He was conscious and breathing but was coughing up water and foam, added Mr. Lopez, who said a nurse jumped in to help. He looked pale and disoriented.
Soon after, emergency medical technicians arrived and took the man to a hospital. Mr. Lopez was told to file his report on the incident. After he did so, he was fired by his supervisor, he said.
Three lifeguards quit in solidarity after the firing, including his younger brother, Mr. Lopez said. The next day two others were fired, he added.
They had asked them if they would do the same thing I did, and they said they would, Mr. Lopez said.
Jeff Ellis, the owner of the company that patrols that stretch of Hallandale Beach, said that all those lifeguards would be reinstated if they chose to come back.
The change of heart, Mr. Ellis said, came after his preliminary investigation concluded that no other swimmers were put at risk after Mr. Lopez left his station. A fellow lifeguard who was down the beach began to supervise Mr. Lopezs portion of beach.
Mr. Ellis said that his contract with the city of Hallandale Beach provides that four lifeguards in three stands watch over a length of beach about the size of two football fields. The rest of the beach is designated as unprotected.
The lifeguards are allowed to rescue people outside those boundaries so long as they can see the distressed swimmer. Otherwise, they are supposed to call the manager. Usually, 911 would be called to respond in those cases.
If someone leaves a station unattended, Mr. Ellis said, we are then compromising the safety of swimmers in our zone.
Privatizing lifeguard duties is unusual in Florida. Hallandale Beach contracted out the job to his company in 2003 to save money, Mr. Ellis said. His contract expires in October; he said he had not decided whether to bid again.