Photos: 2024 Lifesavers Recognition Day

A group of Nantucket residents was recognized Wednesday evening for their heroic lifesaving efforts this summer by The Egan Maritime Institute and Nantucket Cottage Hospital during the annual Lifesavers Recognition Day ceremony at the Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum.

The Lifesavers Recognition Day Lifesaving Award is given to a citizen who rescues or endeavors to rescue any other person from drowning, shipwreck, or other perils of the water. This year’s recipients were Seth Engelbourg, Erin O’Brien, Tyler Herrick, Kevin Johnson, and members of the ACK Surf School including Gavin Norton, Alex Horan, Brad Gebhardt, Chase Bomiesler, Turner Garland, and Jackson Roberts.

Engelbourg, the chair of the Nantucket Conservation Commission, pulled two girls from the water in July, potentially saving their lives.O’Brien, a former Nantucket lifeguard, saved a woman from the rip current at Ladies Beach on Aug. 4th with help from a trio of New Jersey tourists, carrying her to shore after it became clear she couldn’t move.

Two days later, Herrick, a local bartender, rescued a series of people at Nobadeer while surfing, including a young child.Johnson and Norton, the owner of ACK Surf School, and his team helped save two swimmers from the rip current at Nobadeer on August 18th.

The Lifesaving Recognition Day Committee also formally recognized all of the town of Nantucket’s lifeguards for their “outstanding performance during the 2024 summer season.”

CNN news anchor Kaitlan Collins received the Maurice Gibbs Commendation Award, which honors a person who contributed significantly to saving and preserving lives for the people and the Town of the Country of Nantucket. Collins stopped to help an elderly man on Broad Street on July 30th after he fell off his bike, seriously injuring his leg. Utilizing her hostile environment training, designed to prepare reporters for covering war zones or other dangerous areas, Collins helped to staunch the bleeding from his leg and comfort the man while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

Below are some photos taken during the recognition ceremony.