By JOSEPH KELLARD
One call reported that a female swimmer was in distress in the ocean off Lincoln Boulevard beach, and another visitor swam out to rescue her, according to Lt. Bruce Meyer of the LBPD, who said he could provide only basic information about the incidents due to privacy issues. The fire department received the call at 2:45 p.m., but by the time rescue crews arrived at the beach, the woman was safely back ashore.
"According to our report, she was swept out into the ocean from the beach and an unknown civilian swam out and brought her back to shore," said Meyer, who added that the woman did not need medical attention. "This is what you'd call a classic close call."
At 3:48 p.m. on the same beach, another call to the city reported five swimmers in distress. But only a 7-year-old girl with fluid in her lungs needed to be transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, according to Meyer, and she was conscious and alert throughout. A 17-year-old girl with the same Hempstead address as the younger girl was also in distress, but needed no medical attention.
Phil Gillespie, the chief of Long Beach lifeguards, said that an off-duty lifeguard sitting on the beach helped out. "One girl was in the water and she did assist in pulling her out," Gillespie said.
At 4:24, another caller reported that two people were in distress at Franklin Boulevard beach, and afterward
a man was sent to South Nassau with fluid in his lungs and a 39-year-old woman was sent to the hospital with leg cramps. Meyer said that neither of the patrons, who were from Plainview, were seriously hurt.
"Although no lifeguards were on duty, the beach patrol was out in full force," said one Franklin Avenue resident who watched the rescue crews at work.
The day's first call came at 10:58 a.m., reporting that one of four boys in a raft fell into the water at Long Beach Boulevard beach. This incident was the least serious of the four that day, Meyer said. "When we got there, the youths had come out of the water without incident," he said. "There's no indication that one fell out of the raft, and the officer at the scene said that they didn't require any medical aide or anything like that."
Gillespie said that water temperatures this time of year range between 40 and 45 degrees, discouraging swimmers from staying in the ocean long. Lifeguards begin staffing the beach on Memorial Day weekend, and Gillespie said he expects that with beaches closing at Jones Beach this summer, Long Beach lifeguards will be keeping an eye on more people. "You're going to get a lot of people coming to Long Beach this year," he said. "It's going to be a good summer for the city."
He explained that drownings in Long Beach almost invariably occur when lifeguards are off-duty, and that victims are often out-of-towners unfamiliar with the hazards of the ocean.
During one 24-hour period last July, three men drowned in city waters in two separate incidents when lifeguards were off-duty and treacherous rip currents swept the oceanfront.
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
