MB Firefighter, Good Samaritan Rescue Woman in Ocean off Pier

A Good Samaritan and MB Fire Department Captain Dave Shenbaum are being credited with rescuing a "female in the water yelling for help" off the end of the Manhattan Beach Pier Saturday night, said David Carmany, Manhattan Beach city manager, Wednesday.

Shenbaum arrived on the pier within three minutes of the 10:37 p.m. call, assessing the situation, which now included a man who had jumped in the water to help. He was holding the now-unconscious woman's head out of the water while holding onto a rope thrown to him by fishermen. 

According to Carmany, the man yelled to Shenbaum that he could no longer hold the woman. Shenbaum, who is part-time ocean lifeguard with the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division, jumped into the water after using his portable radio to update responding firefighters and passing command to the captain on the engine. Shenbaum was acting as the duty Battalion Chief. 

"Shenbaum took control of the unconscious woman and swam her to shore while performing mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing," said Carmany in the news release.

Paramedics, who were waiting at the waterline and found the woman to be pulseless and non-breathing, administered advanced life support care and resuscitated her. The woman was transported to Little Company of Mary Hospital with a pulse but still unconscious. She was reportedly sitting up and talking a few days later, according to the news release.

Meanwhile, the man who had attempted rescue was still in the water. Firefighters threw him a flotation device, pulling him to the shore from the pier area. He was examined, said Carmany, and found to have minor injuries.

Shenbaum praised the efforts of the citizen rescuer and stated that the woman would not have survived except for the "man’s bravery and heroic efforts" until the fire department arrived, said Carmany.

The Manhattan Beach Police Department, L. A. County Fire Department lifeguards, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and Hermosa Beach Fire Department Paramedics assisted in the rescue.