By Chris Munzing
Officers Michael Gelberg and Dean Burke were on regular beach patrol in their 4X4 vehicles when Gelberg was approached by beachgoers and told of three swimmers in distress in the ocean near Lincoln Boulevard at about 7 p.m., an hour after the beach had closed.
Gelberg quickly drove to Neptune Beach, where he knew many lifeguards had remained for a Fourth of July barbecue, to retrieve as many rescuers as he could fit in his truck. He drove them to the scene, where the lifeguards instantly began rescue procedures. Gelberg then returned to the barbecue and transported a second group of lifeguards to the scene. In total, roughly 30 lifeguards participated in the successful rescue of the swimmers, who were believed to be members of a family from out of town.
Long Beach Police Commissioner John Laffey praised both of his officers, and complimented Gelberg in particular for his quick thinking in getting lifeguards to perform the rescue instead of attempting it on his own and possibly further endangering the swimmers as well as himself.
"He's a smart cop," Laffey said of Gelberg. "He just did a marvelous, marvelous job. He did the smart thing and got the people who could help."
Laffey said that his police officers are responsible for several rescues each summer, and that the victims are often not from Long Beach. "It's almost invariably out-of-towners," he said, explaining that residents know that when lifeguards are off-duty, the ocean becomes more dangerous. Police have seen enough rescues to know what can happen when people take to the ocean without proper supervision.
Long Beach Fire Chief Scott Kemins said that his department received the call that there were swimmers in distress a little after 7 p.m. As Kemins and his firefighters arrived, the lifeguards were already pulling the swimmers out of the ocean. The Fire Department's water rescue team was not deployed, but 12 officers immediately began to administer first aid, giving oxygen to the swimmers and placing them on backboards to prevent any further injuries.
Kemins described the swimmers as "lethargic" and "weak," attributing their condition to the strong rip current they had been struggling against. The three were transported to Long Beach Medical Center for treatment and were released.
Kemins credited Officer Gelberg's retrieval of the lifeguards for saving the lives of the three swimmers. He said that the entire rescue, from beginning to end, was exceptionally quick. "The people were out of the water and in the hospital within 30 minutes," Kemins said.
He echoed Laffey's statements that it is often people from outside Long Beach who find themselves in this type of situation. "Long Beach kids know the ocean -- they know what they can and can't do," Kemins said. "You would hope people are intelligent enough to make the right decisions, but sometimes they're not." He went on to say that his department is called to these situations on an average of five to six times a summer.
Lifeguard Chief Stephen Kohut declined to comment on the rescue, but Long Beach City Councilman Leonard Remo praised the city's police, fire rescue and lifeguards for their commitment to saving lives, whether on the clock or not. "There wasn't one of them who hesitated for a second," he said of the lifeguards. "This is the beauty of the people who love Long Beach. This is just an example of what makes Long Beach such a great community."
Remo's statements were echoed by Councilman Scott Nigro. "The Fourth of July was a showcase for the organization, dedication and training of the young men and women charged with protecting bathers along our shoreline," he said. "Their performance was exemplary."
The Fourth was a particularly busy day for the lifeguards. More than 200 preventive actions were taken, such as calling swimmers back to shore and warning them of the dangerous currents. Lifeguards were forced into the ocean in rescue situations more than 40 times.
