Memo Contradicts Fire Dept. Claims In Alameda Drowning

June 10, 2011 10:51 AM

Raymond Zack drowned 50 feet offshore at Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda on May 30, 2011 as firefighters and police watched.

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ALAMEDA (CBS/AP) — An internal memo appears to contradict claims by Alameda fire officials in the wake of a man’s suicide in San Francisco Bay while firefighters and police watched from the shore.

The March 19, 2009 memo indicates funding for water rescue training had been approved for the department. It was written by Alameda Fire Division Chief Dale Vogelsang.

Interim Alameda Fire Chief Mike D’Orazi said after last month’s suicide that budget cuts forced the department to abandon water rescue training. He said that led to a policy in 2009 forbidding firefighters from engaging in water rescues.

The memo was obtained by the Contra Costa Times.

Fire officials declined to answer questions about it pending a review of the Memorial Day suicide by city officials.

Memo Contradicts Fire Dept. Claims In Alameda Drowning

Thoughtful One

Ride, Captain, Ride.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/06/12/alameda-residents-%e2%80%98wade-out%e2%80%99-in-bay-to-protest-suicide-response/ Alameda Residents ‘Wade-Out’ In Bay To Protest Suicide Response « CBS San Francisco

[...] the incident about budget cuts being a problem,” Howard said. “Those have been proved false. The memo that Chief D’Orazi cited saying there was budget cuts proved to be wrong. At the end of that [...]
http://www.allcalifornia.info/news/alameda-residents-%e2%80%98wade-out%e2%80%99-in-bay-to-protest-suicide-response Alameda Residents ‘Wade-Out’ In Bay To Protest Suicide Response | All of California

[...] the incident about budget cuts being a problem,” Howard said. “Those have been proved false. The memo that Chief D’Orazi cited saying there was budget cuts proved to be wrong. At the end of that [...]
http://troutlook.com/man-commits-suicide-in-shallow-water-20110620.html Man Commits Suicide in Shallow Water » troutlook

[...] CBS San Francisco, sfgate.com, mercurynews.com [...]
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/09/30/report-criticizes-city-of-alameda-in-drowning-death-of-suicidal-man/ Report Criticizes City Of Alameda In Drowning Death Of Suicidal Man « CBS San Francisco

[...] W. Crown Memorial State Beach that was written by former state Fire Marshal Ruben Grijalva said the city’s elimination of its fire department rescue boat in 2008 and its rescue swimmer program in 2009 resulted in total reliance on mutual [...]
http://slowfacts.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/a-change-of-character-emergency-response/ A Change of Character (Emergency Response) « SlowFacts

[...] Here is a news account of HUNDREDS of people watching as a man drowns in a few feet of water. He is thoroughly dead by the time emergency services respond. Though this example takes place in England, there are other examples from the San Francisco bay area. (Rescue services excused their actions claiming their water-rescue training was out of date, but those claims were later contradicted.) [...]