Firefighter, fisherman save drowning woman near Manhattan Beach pier
MBFD firefighter Dave Shenbaum, who made an ocean rescue off the Manhattan Beach Pier late Saturday night. Photo courtesy MBFD
A firefighter and a fisherman together helped save the life of a distraught woman who jumped off the Manhattan Beach pier Saturday night in a rescue that also involved help from other fishermen and paramedics who brought the woman back from a flat-lining, near-death condition.
The Manhattan Beach Fire Department responded to a 9-1-1 call from the pier and arrived on scene at 11:39 p.m. The first firefighter to arrive, within minutes, was Capt. Dave Shenbaum, who was serving as acting battalion chief that night and as such was prepared to serve as incident commander.
A fisherman named Royce Butterfield – who later told police he wasn’t a very good swimmer – had witnessed the woman jump from the pier and followed in after her when he heard her screams. Butterfield’s brother threw down a rope, and so the fisherman was holding both the rope and the woman when Shenbaum arrived on the scene.
Shenbaum, who is also a part-time LA County Lifeguard, realized immediately that he could not wait for assistance.
“It was just a quick decision that had to be made, and I made the decision to just take off my gear and hit the water,” he said.
The pair was in the water off the end of the pier, below the Roundhouse Aquarium. Butterfield had managed to keep the woman’s head above water, but when Shenbaum arrived, he found her unconscious and foaming at the mouth. Still in the water, he gave the woman mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, then turned back and swam her back to shore.
MBFD paramedics were waiting. The woman’s heart was not beating. The paramedics applied CPR for more than five minutes and she was revived and quickly transported to Little Company of Mary Hospital. Shenbaum, who received a Medal of Valor in 2010 for rescuing two men in heavy surf in the very same waters, received a call from a physician at 7 a.m. the next day, telling him that the woman – almost miraculously – was sitting up in bed, alert and talking.
Shenbaum said the rescue was a true collaboration between himself, Butterfield, the bystanders on the pier who’d activated 9-1-1 and later held the rope, and the paramedics who brought the woman back to life. But he singled out Butterfield’s role in the rescue.
“Truly, this guy Royce, he saved her life,” Shenbaum said. “This guy unselfishly jumped into the water to save a woman’s life. When he got to her, she was just struggling to keep her head above water, and he got her back to that rope….As public servants, we get paid pretty well to put our lives on the line to protect and serve our community. But when someone from the public does it – it’s such a selfless act of valor.”
“This is what it’s all about – helping others and putting others first,” he added. “And I think you saw this in this citizen, this fisherman: he put someone else first. You saw this in our paramedics, doing this outstanding job in what they do best. It was their finest hour.”
And, of course, all those present also saw it in Shenbaum, who is known within the fire department for his deflection of credit and stout commitment to serving others.
“He’s the real deal,” said MBFD battalion chief Ken Shuck. “He did good….He pulled up with no expectation of having to go in the water – that wasn’t his job for the day. He just had to respond to the situation. It was cold and dark and late at night and made a quick decision. He passed command of the incident to an incoming captain, stripped down, went in and saved this woman’s life.”
The 49-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was believed to have been in emotional distress prior to jumping, according to police reports derived from witnesses.
Manhattan Beach Police Department Officer Stephanie Martin said that Butterfield later told police that he wasn’t an adept swimmer.
“He’s a real hero himself, because as I understand it, he commented when asked that he is not that good of a swimmer himself,” Martin said. “He saw this woman in trouble and did what he thought was best. He was able to hold onto the victim until the firefighter got to him, but he couldn’t hold on much longer.”
Shenbaum noted that well over half of attempted rescues by citizens end up with the citizen in need of rescue.
“We don’t recommend people do this, but if they feel they have the ability and can potentially save someone’s life, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said. “We certainly wouldn’t want just any ‘Good Samaritan’ to put themselves in danger. But in this situation, it worked out great.”
Shuck praised everyone involved in the rescue – the fisherman who dove in, the bystanders who helped, and the firefighters, police, and paramedics who responded.
“It was a lot of people who did the right thing,” Schuck said.