Fire crews and police could only watch after a man waded into San Francisco Bay, stood up to his neck and waited. They wanted to do something, but a policy strictly forbade them from trying to save the 50-year-old, officials said.
A witness finally pulled the apparently suicidal man’s lifeless body from the 54-degree water.
Interim Alameda Fire Chief Mike D’Orazi said Monday’s incident is troubling. He has directed staff to write a new policy that would allow water rescues.
(Chief do you really need a policy which says rescue drowning people.)
“The incident yesterday was deeply regrettable,” he said. “But I can also see it from our firefighters’ perspective. They’re standing there wanting to do something, but they are handcuffed by policy at that point.”
(Handcuffed by something which didn’t affect the witness who rescued the corpse.)
“We expected to see at some point that there would be a concern for him,” another witness, told KGO-TV.(Well let’s not get our hopes up too soon since the policy isn’t written yet.)
D’Orazi said crews may have decided it was too risky to attempt the rescue, even if they had not been shackled by the restrictions on water rescues.
There are no lifeguards at the beach, said Isa Polt-Jones, a spokeswoman with the East Bay Regional Park District. Signs at the park advise swimmers to enter the water at their own risk.
( Oh well that answers it,but if it’s so risky why would lifeguards be there at all.)
(Note to poor swimmers and potential suicides:Be sure to read all the rules or you will be cited.)
