Home >destination tips travel > Report rebukes Alameda for non-rescue in bay - San Francisco Chronicle
Report rebukes Alameda for non-rescue in bay - San Francisco Chronicle
Posted on Thursday, September 29, 2011 by destination tips travel
An independent review of the Memorial Day death of an apparently suicidal man at Alameda's Crown Beach rebukes the city for not having a water rescue crew at the time, and urges better coordination between the island city's police and fire agencies when handling offshore emergencies.
The 67-page review, released by the city Thursday, was conducted by former state Fire Marshal Ruben Grijalva. The Alameda City Council will consider its recommendations at a special meeting Oct. 11.
The report lays out 14 recommendations and details missteps on the day 52-year-old Raymond Zack stood in the water off Crown Beach for 31 minutes before succumbing to hypothermia. City Manager John Russo, who assumed his job shortly after the death, said the city would take the recommendations seriously.
"No excuses," he said. "It was not Alameda's finest hour."
Russo added, "Changes have already come, and more will come ... and then we're going to close the book on this and it's not going to happen again. We will be able to rescue people."
Zack's death drew international outrage because firefighters and police did not go into the water to save him. Instead, after Zack was unconscious, a bystander waded out to the neck-deep water where he had been standing and carried him to shore.
Alameda's emergency responders couldn't go into the water, officials later said, because they weren't trained in water rescue and they believed Zack might become violent.
The Fire Department's water rescue unit, which had been eliminated amid budgetary cutbacks, has been restarted - addressing one of the main recommendations of Grijalva's report. On Aug. 8 two firefighter swimmers using their boat rescued a kite surfer in the waters off Shoreline Drive.
Russo said the city intends to buy more boats "and put them all over the island."
Zack suffered from depression, and his family said they were not sure he really wanted to kill himself. He waded about 150 yards from shore on Memorial Day and told one witness he wanted to stay out there to pray.
Firefighters and police officers called the Coast Guard for help within two minutes of the 911 call they received from the beach, according to Thursday's report. Other agencies were notified soon after but were unable to provide a rescue craft until about an hour into the incident, the report says - and by then, Zack was already floating face-down.
Grijalva's report said there should have been better coordination at the scene by fire and police officials, and that they were disorganized when calling for mutual aid and confused by using jargon. They should have called for an Oakland Fire Department shallow-water boat right away instead of the Coast Guard's vessel, which was unable to attempt a rescue, the report said.
Critics of the city said they would keep the heat on City Hall for reforms, at the Oct. 11 meeting and beyond.
"No matter what they say, it comes down to this: There were a lot of public safety officers who stood on the beach and did nothing," said one of the more vocal critics, Alameda resident David Howard. "That must never happen again."
This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHxm5EVRhQ36Lwdt91N7SWtV7OnoA&url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/29/BA5C1LBG9M.DTL
~
Manage subscription | Powered by rssforward.com
Archive
-
▼
2011
(3387)
-
▼
September
(1375)
- RBS set to take control of Jarvis Hotels in bid to...
- Beach volleyball competitors showcase skills - Sun...
- Colonial Beach middle schoolers may have to move -...
- Battle Mountain football rolls by Demons - Vail Da...
- Marriott near Abilene mall closed till Dec. 15 - R...
- Vero Beach roars back to knock off Fort Pierce Cen...
- Two people killed in Gulf Boulevard crash in St. P...
- Mountain Brook @ Spain Park - Football - al.com
- Pocono Mountain students meet standards - Pocono R...
- Sulphur hotel closed by the city - KPLC-TV
- Feds sue Nevada hotel for not protecting Hispanic ...
- Mountain Ridge blanks BW - Cumberland Times-News
- Myrtle Beach rebounds to beat Wilson despite injur...
- Guns now allowed at West Palm Beach city hall, pub...
- Santa Cruz mountain winegrowers: Cool weather mean...
- Lenore Benderly, travel agent - Washington Post
- Hundreds turn out for 'Cold Mountain' author at Ra...
- Travelhoppers Presents New Year's Travel Deal: Tou...
- Travel Bug: Top 5 places for fall foliage - Digita...
- Youth travel at the forefront of technology - eTur...
- Is Green Mountain on Firm Footing? - Motley Fool
- Jerry Brown tweaks 'bipartisan' legislators again ...
- Bills travel to jungle to face Bengals - The Toron...
- So a man drives up a mountain: 4x4 left atop Briti...
- Is Green Mountain on Firm Footing? - DailyFinance
- AuthentiCity Travel, Immersion Travel Experiences ...
- Va. Beach council weighs campaign to raise gas tax...
- Feds sue Nevada hotel for harassing Hispanics - Sa...
- Bulls Travel to SEC Country to Face Tennessee on S...
- Shell Beach man reported missing after his dog is ...
- Rising costs could lead to fewer hometown police a...
- Arch Coal cuts outlook on WV mine troubles - Bosto...
- Feds Sue Nevada Hotel for Harassing Hispanics - AB...
- Brown scratches at lawmakers on mountain lion bill...
- Brown scratches at lawmakers on mountain lion bill...
- Police investigating links after 11th hotel robbed...
- Arch Coal cuts outlook on WV mine troubles - Forbes
- 4x4 left atop British mountain for second time - B...
- Panthers, Bears battle for their second win - ispo...
- Habbo Hotel Brand Goes Mobile With New iOS Game - ...
- Mountain lion killed after attack on boy - TheNews...
- Vero Beach man guilty of murder in retiree's death...
- Late Gov. Kirk lauded in state capital; funeral se...
- 7 Ways to Combat Business Travel Budget Blues - Bu...
- 4x4 Left Atop British Mountain for Second Time - A...
- Long Beach names first female deputy police chief ...
- Travel not wearing down Schmid's Sounders just yet...
- Priceline targets Hotel Tonight with day-of hotel ...
- Panama City Beach FL Hosts Successful Country Musi...
- Travel Channel Segment to Feature La-Z-Boy - Home ...
- Rocky Mountain National Park supporter a loss in h...
- Man in mountain car crash survived 6 days on leave...
- A big weekend for Pensacola Beach - Pensacola News...
- Report rebukes Alameda for non-rescue in bay - San...
- Satellite Beach's spending choice may cost the cit...
- AirportHotelGuide.com Announces the Launch of New ...
- C-USA talks to Mountain West on football merger pl...
- Man found dead in office of Twin Peaks hotel - Sac...
- Huntington Beach remembers surfing greats - OCRegi...
- Keyser outlasts Mountain Ridge, 36-22 - Cumberland...
- Battle Mountain soccer stuns Demons late - Vail Da...
- Cambridge sweeps away outsourcing of hotel houseke...
- Eastland Park Hotel may close during 'massive' ren...
- Long Beach detectives release sketches of suspects...
- Council OKs Upscale Hotel Agreement - Patch.com
- Mother of fugitive ex-Boynton Beach cop pleads not...
- Va. Beach man faces felony charge in bigamy case -...
- Remembering the wit and wisdom of Claude Kirk - Pa...
- Virginia Beach man faces felony charge in bigamy c...
- West Palm Beach revises rule: Guns OK on 1st floor...
- Vero Beach man charged with attempted murder of fe...
- Packers game travel advisory - Fox11online.com
- Owner of Squaw Valley hotel faces harassment suit ...
- UPDATE: Mountain lion shot, killed in Mount Shasta...
- Conference USA and Mountain West continue expansio...
- Newport Area Beaches Earn Top Marks for Water Qual...
- Long Beach Police Department promotes first deputy...
- MCSO arrests hotel manager after August raid - ABC...
- Suburban West Palm woman charged with selling coun...
- Snowshoe Mountain Predicts FIRST SNOW this Weekend...
- Explosion rocks hotel in Pakistan's capital - Alba...
- Nightlife happenings in the Myrtle Beach area - My...
- DOWNTOWN EDITION: Beach Water Grades Improve - Gaz...
- Travelliance and Nationwide Hospitality, Inc. Merg...
- Crosby likely to travel to opener with Penguins - ...
- No swim advisory lifted at Yacht Club Beach - WZVN-TV
- More travel time message board on I-95 - Providenc...
- Auditors look at lottery director travel expenses ...
- Va. Beach jury convicts man in Cox student's slayi...
- Beach Dentist Brings Bright Smiles - Island Sand P...
- Around Hermosa Beach - Easy Reader
- Man charged with stealing Palm Beach County Fire R...
- Sheep Mountain, Energy Fuels work toward water - T...
- Green Mountain Coffee Roasters May Have Peaked - S...
- Va. Beach jury convicts man in Cox student's slayi...
- Boynton Beach woman arrested on child neglect char...
- Man arrested for stealing Palm Beach County Fire R...
- Truck crewman suspended for substance abuse - Nascar
- Sidney Crosby might travel with team - ESPN
- New travel questions crop up in lottery director's...
-
▼
September
(1375)