Man Drowns at Alameda Beach While Fire Department, Coast Guard, Watch

Photo by pepperlime/Flickr

The Oakland Tribune (via Mercury News) reports on a tragic story of a 57-year-old man who drowned in the bay in Alameda on Monday after wading chest-high in the water fully clothed for nearly an hour before rescuers could reach him.

Witnesses told the Tribune that police and fire crews responded quickly to the scene, but because the Alameda Fire Department is not certified in land-based water rescues, they had to wait for the United States Coast Guard to arrive.

The Coast Guard reportedly responded within 20 minutes with a rescue boat, but because the man was in fairly shallow water, they had to wait for a helicopter instead. The helicopter took 65 minutes to arrive because it had been out on another mission and needed to refuel.

In the mean time, a woman in her late 20s who's trained as a water rescue nurse, was able to pull the man out when he was about 50 yards from shore. Unfortunately, rescuers were unable to revive him, and he was later pronounced dead at Alameda Hospital.

Naturally, commenters at both Oakland Tribune and Mercury News are outraged that the city of Alameda, which is surrounded by water, isn't equipped with water-rescue personnel.

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By Leanne Maxwell in News on May 30, 2011 11:20 PM

Comments [rss]

eve fromm

That is sad.So they just watched as he drowned?

susanna gecht

Even if the Coast Guard cutter couldn't get get close enough to him, don't they have small boats onboard that they can use. Report says he was in the water for an hour. If he was really committed to killing himself it wouldn't have taken 1 hr. Chances are we just got tired of trending water.

Schmeer Me

Alameda is surrounded by water, right? Yet there is no contingency plan for a drowning person?

"Hello, McFly?"

loveofmystery

I don't understand why there wasn't a row boat or kayak handy at Crown Beach. You just jump in and do it.

Annabanana

He no longer wanted to live. He had 57 years to think about it and this is what he wanted. He's no longer in pain.

haydig

when i was a young lad i thought police & fire dept.were heros.not any more they just just want to collect pay check and fat pensions...sad.

Mark 2000

You think he wanted the kill himself for 57 years and just now decided? More likely something recent could have happened to distress him or he could be suffering from something anti depressants could fix. You can't just let the suicidal act. They may want to live if they know the choices.