I can't believe they let this happen!

According to the article, it was the responsibility of the firemen - not the cops or the Coast Guard.

While I sympathize with them, they have to sleep at night. I would like to think that there are still a few good men who would risk their job to save a life. I know my husband would.
 
This problem is caused by unions. The life guards each get paid well over $100,000 a year + a $3 Million pensions to do ocean rescue. In some instances Life Guard pay top $210,000 a year. They get full retirement at 30 years. The cities can't afford to train police & fire to do the lifeguards job & the lifeguards don't want to lose their cushy job to the police & fire dept.

Lifeguard pay of $200K riles Calif beach city
 
You're right however basic lifesaving training is hardly expensive. For goodness sakes, I got a certificate in high school and half the kids in my son's Boy Scout troop have it. And this guy was only in knee deep water.

Personally, I blame the lawyers. Good Samaritan Laws don't usually cover professionals. I witnessed an M.D. ignore someone who was having a seizure because of it. It has to change.
 
You're right however basic lifesaving training is hardly expensive. For goodness sakes, I got a certificate in high school and half the kids in my son's Boy Scout troop have it. And this guy was only in knee deep water.

Personally, I blame the lawyers. Good Samaritan Laws don't usually cover professionals. I witnessed an M.D. ignore someone who was having a seizure because of it. It has to change.

How does one drown in knee deep water?
 
hmm, well , guess someone should have called the coast gaurd then...

One article I read said the Coast Guard was called and was there but they were unable to get to the scene because the water is too shallow.

Having been in the Coast Guard Reserves and stationed at the very base that would have been responsible for this call, I have to wonder why they didn't put someone ashore and have them come at it from the beach. It seems this incident took well over an hour and that there would have been time to do this.

I wasn't there so I don't know for sure.

Immie
 
Police and firefighters stood on a California beach and watched as a suicidal man waded into the San Francisco Bay and drowned in the surf.

The body of Raymond Zack was finally pulled from the 54-degree water by a passerby as local fire officials blamed budget cuts for their inability to save the man.

An Alameda police spokesman said officers stayed out of the water because Zack was suicidal and posed a possible threat.

"We did not know whether he was violent, whether drugs were involved," said police Lt. Sean Lynch. "It's not a situation of a typical rescue."

Eyewitness Sharon Brunetti told the San Jose Mercury News that she couldn't believe the first responders at the beach stood and watched the man drown.

They let this man drown because of budget cuts and departmental policy?

Surely, one of those men standing there on the beach should have said, "screw the policy, I am not going to stand here and watch that man drown." And there were witnesses as well, why the hell didn't a civilian go in and pull him out?

And the water was too shallow for the Coast Guard 41 footer (I was stationed on YBI) the base that would have been called out for this. I can't believe that they could not get someone on shore and in the water in an hour to save that man.

I don't blame the first responders, but I wonder what they were thinking. Surely they had enough training to do something more than just watch this man die! I can't help but worry that this may haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Immie

Police are not obligated to protect anyone.
 

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