"Policy prevents rescue of man in Calif." by Associated Press / June 2, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO — Fire crews and police could only watch after a man waded into San Francisco Bay, stood up to his neck and waited. They wanted to do something, but a policy strictly forbade them from trying to save the man in his early 50s, officials said.
A witness finally pulled the apparently suicidal man’s body from the 54-degree water.
Interim Alameda Fire Chief Mike D’Orazi said Monday’s episode is troubling. He has directed staff to write a new policy that would allow water rescues.
The previous policy was implemented after budget cuts forced the department to discontinue water rescue training and stop maintaining wetsuits and other rescue gear, D’Orazi said Tuesday.
“The incident yesterday was deeply regrettable,’’ he said. “But I can also see it from our firefighters’ perspective. They’re standing there wanting to do something, but they are handcuffed by policy at that point.’’
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"Suleman doctor’s license is revoked" Associated Press / June 2, 2011
LOS ANGELES — In practice, fertility doctors avoid megabirths, as high-number multiple births are sometimes called, because the process can put the mother at risk for serious complications and death. Crowding in a mother’s uterus could also result in premature birth, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, or other health problems for the babies.
To date, Nadya Suleman’s octuplets are the world’s longest surviving set.
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Related: Octuplets Sleeping Soundly
