and in national news.......... Alameda California Emergency response FAIL

[KOPBET]

Ok, so all the machismos say they are going to wade 150 yards or more out in the surf in sub 60 degree water with no gear and no training, then attempt to rescue a guy that is trying to kill himself in six feet of water and still has fight in him.

Got it.

 

[Glocktogo]

Here is "The Deal": ...and its true for most services across the country. If a person is drowning/in flood waters/river/etc., Police/Fire/EMS are to wait for the Water Rescue squad, for two primary reasons- 1) if something goes wrong, the family of the victim may sue, stating that the actions of the "untrained" rescuer(s) contributed to or caused the victim's death, and 2) if the rescuer dies, their family may sue the municipality for inadequate training, leading to the death.

From the perspective of a responder, if you attempt a rescue, and succeed, great, the Dept. gives you a medal and a quiet verbal warning not to do that s**t again. If you fail, you'll definitely be fired, and you may lose your license, if the Dept. goes to the State Board and accuses you of "practice beyond competence". Welfare of my family & waste of education and experience by forced career change, vs. trying to save jerkwad who is trying to kill himself....hmmmmm.

Along with that, its typical Cali/urban America- ZERO personal responsibility. We want to be able to sue if things go wrong, but whine and cry when the resulting protective measures that practioners have to have lead to unintended consequences, and we sure as heck won't do anything "MYSELF!?!?"

Ok, so all the machismos say they are going to wade 150 yards or more out in the surf in sub 60 degree water with no gear and no training, then attempt to rescue a guy that is trying to kill himself in six feet of water and still has fight in him.

Got it.

And this is exactly why America as a society is completely doomed. Why should anyone give a **** about anyone anymore?

 

[jej]

The rescue guys on the shore watching this must have been without cell phones or radios, too. There are inter-agency agreements in place that allow them to call their dispatch to call sister agencies in the Bay Area that are equipped and trained for any mission that they are not able to accomplish.

That the rescue guys on the shore watching did not do this is a complete mystery.

WTF was going on out there?

 

[KOPBET]

And this is exactly why America as a society is completely doomed. Why should anyone give a **** about anyone anymore?

That's a pretty unfair assessment. I'm sure you would blindly rush out there, punch the guy out and heroically drag him back to shore bare handed. All in a day's work. For the masses, I'm not buying what you're selling.

Sure, I care about that sick guy, but also I care about myself. I care about my family too. I care about my responsibility to take care of them over everything else. I'm not killing myself right along with him because somone might think I don't give a ****. Let 'em think what they will.

 

[MoBoost]

How exactly was this guy supposed to be saved? - firefighters growing wings or the cops using their cruisers for flotation device?

 

[grizzly97]

And this is exactly why America as a society is completely doomed. Why should anyone give a **** about anyone anymore?

Yep. I agree completely!

 

[MLRyan]

I've been involved in an impromtu rescue in MS where we tied 2 ropes to 2 guys(1 each), sent them into the water and then pulled them back once they had the swimmer. Water wasn't cold, but it was moving. The great thing about the rope is you can pull your rescue swimmer in no matter what happens. Maybe I'm a dumb hick from MS, but none of us were "trained or equipped" or even over 18 at the time, but we managed.

 

[jej]

How exactly was this guy supposed to be saved? - firefighters growing wings or the cops using their cruisers for flotation device?

Maybe telephone the Coast Guard and ask for help? Alameda is a major city. There is a major Coast Guard presence. Maybe telephone one of the nearby jurisdictions who will still allow their rescue people to do rescues? I dunno. Just guessing.

 

[HMFIC]

amazing...

all I heard was protocol, training, equipment, funding, blah blah blah.

shameful indictment on society and humanity.

 

[348]

Are first responders trained in hand to hand combat in a water environment?