Courtesy Photo | Boatswains Mate 1st Class Kurt Schneider (Front), and Machinery Technician Chief Ken...... read more read more
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NEW YORK - A routine security patrol of the East River, turned into a challenging rescue mission for a team of Naval Militia members and Coast Guardsman onboard Naval Militia Patrol Boat 440 on Sept. 24.
Boatswains Mate 1st Class Kurt Schneider, and Machinery Technician Chief Ken Stefandel were patrolling the river near the United Nations building, as part of the security for the annual gathering of world leaders for the United Nations General Assembly Meeting.
Four Coast Guardsmen, belonging to a Tactical Law Enforcement Team, were also onboard because of the security mission.
At 4:30 in the afternoon the crew noticed people shouting and waiving along the water’s edge.
At first, we thought people were waiving to us because we are a military boat, so I waved back, said Stefandel, PB440’s coxswain.
“It was then I saw them pointing to the water, after looking closer I realized that there was a person in the water lying face up, that was floating down the river,” said Stefandel.
It was then he knew they had to act quickly. Stefandel told the boat crew to make “preps for recovery”.
PB440 circled around and began to call out to her.
“She was flailing her arms trying to make some kind of movement,” said Stefandel.
“I told the crew to deploy the life ring, so that she could try to swim to or grab on to, to keep her afloat,” he said.
Unfortunately, she was not able to make it over to the life ring, Stefandel recalled.
He instructed the crew to try a direct pick up. This means they would have to maneuver the boat close enough to the person to pull them out of the water and right onto the boat.
“The current in the East River was ripping, there was a tide change, so that made maneuvering the boat and handling the boat a little challenging,” explained Stefandel.
Because the crew was made up of Naval Militia and Coast Guard members, they have all been through countless person in the water, man overboard drills, he explained.
“It was kind of easy everyone knew their role and responsibilities,” Stefandel said.
The Coast Guard team was able to reach a boat hook to her. She was able to latch on with one of her hands and hold on until she got to the back of the boat. Stefandel explained.
Then the crew was able to pull her out of the water, explained Stefandel.
“One of the Coast Guard members was a certified EMT and had his bag on him. So, he went into his EMT role, assessing her airway, breathing and circulation,” said Stefandel.
The crew worked together to contact the fire department and get an ambulance dispatched. Stefandel drove the boat, while others treated the distressed woman until they arrived at the sanitation department pier 99, at the end of 59th Street. A fire truck and ambulance were waiting there.
“I pulled the boat right against the sea wall,” said Stefandel.
But the challenges weren’t over.
The fire department had to use a ladder to form a ramp because of the 5–6-foot drop from the pier to the boat. From there they were able to drag a stokes litter basket over the ramp, recalled Stefandel.
“We went ahead and put that person in the litter and covered them with a solar blanket, and hoisted her ashore,” he said.
“The crew did a tremendous job, it was truly a team effort, I maneuvered the boat, but they did the recovery, the triage and the transport of the patient, so it was truly a team effort,” said Stefandel.
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2024 14:39 |
| Story ID: | 482464 |
| Location: | NEW YORK, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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