Alameda Reestablishes Water Rescue Program

The Alameda Fire Department’s water rescue program is in the process of being reestablished following the  on Memorial Day.

The department has purchased a new rescue boat and is training swimmers to ensure firefighters are better equipped for future rescues.

The water rescue program, created in the late 1990s, was eliminated during the 2008-09 fiscal year. The fire and rescue boats were put out of service, and swimmers no longer received certified training.

“It would be an understatement to declare this deactivation an error,” wrote city manager John Russo in a report presented to Alameda's city council Tuesday night. “The city must have an effective and resourceful method of responding to water-related incidents."

The city has been  for its response to Raymond Zack’s death, after the apparently suicidal  off Crown Beach on May 30.

The fire department has since trained 20 rescue swimmers and plans to train and certify another 16 in the next fiscal year, according to the department's acting deputy chief of operations, Daren Olson.

The department also recently purchased a 14-foot inflatable boat. Boat operator training will take place in July and August to ensure the program is “up and running by Sept. 1,” Olson said.

The boat will be kept at  and will remain inflated at all times. Ideally, says Olson, boats would be stationed at other stations as well for even more rapid deployment, but budget constraints don’t allow it.

“This was the next best thing we could come up with,” Olson said. “We’re confident this is a good service.”

Russo said there is a possibility that another boat will be donated to the department. He said he would have more details about the second boat when council reconvenes in September.

Council Member Beverly Johnson said the fire department should also consider leasing or making use of equipment and facilities in other areas in and around Alameda.

“When we’re looking at this we need to identify other resources we can take advantage of,” Johnson said. “We need to remember there are other resources in the region.”

Olson stressed the program would regularly come under review and be improved on.

“This is, and will always be, a work in progress,” Olson said. “We will continue to make it a cutting edge service.”

Jon Spangler, a speaker at the meeting, asked that the details behind the demise of the previous water rescue program be made public.

“I don’t think it is necessary to hold that off until the investigation is complete,” Spangler said.

But Russo said the investigation was not about assigning blame. Rather, it will provide a detailed account of what went wrong on Memorial Day.

“The [report] is not to assess blame, but to have a set of common facts that we can all agree on,” Russo said.

He said the information behind the program’s elimination would be included in the report compiled by former State Fire Marshal Ruben Grijalva.

to review the chronology of events on the day of the drowning and draw up a list of recommendations on how to improve service in the future.

“We’re looking for a professional, detailed menu of options for council to look at to decide policy changes,” Russo said.

Council member Doug deHaan said he was concerned that the department was acting too hastily in implementing the new measures and compiling the report so soon after the Memorial Day drowning.

“We need to sit down and reflect,” he said. “We need to look at safety and all regular operations, and try to bring everything back in line. A stand down is a good thing, not a negative thing.”

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