Seaside drowning tapes released

JOHN BURGESON jburgeson@ctpost.com
Article Last Updated: 01/16/2008 11:42:30 PM EST

On July 5, a day after four people drowned in a minivan at Beardsley Park, a second water tragedy befell the city.

At Seaside Park, 13-year-old Kevin Jean-Rene of Bridgeport drowned in the afternoon, despite the presence of 18 or more lifeguards on duty that day.

Following is a transcript of the recordings between the city's emergency personnel, released this week, as the incident unfolded. All times are p.m.

3:38:49 — "Bridgeport 911."

"Yes, Seaside Park, Section 5. I think we have a drowning out here."

"Seaside Park "

"Section 5. There were three kids in the water — uh, two are visible, one is not."

"OK Where is Section 5 exactly?"

"Going toward the point before it's after the first bathhouse."

"By the first bathhouse or the second?"

"In between the first and second."

"OK, Section 5 are the other two children out of the water?"

"They're visible — one guy has gone out trying to get them."

"Hold on one second, OK?"

"There were — My God! — there were three, now there are only two !"

"OK, calm down."

3:39:59 — [Phone rings.] "AMR [American Medical Response, the ambulance company] Bridgeport."

"Hi there."

"Yes."

"We have a report of a couple of, uh, a couple of kids in the water down at Seaside Park, near the main bathhouse."

"Kids in the water, Seaside — is this, like, a drowning?"

"Yeah."

"And that's ?"

"On Barnum Boulevard."

"Yep."

"For a possible drowning."

"Yep — there's a couple of kids visible, and there's a couple of kids not visible."

"All right."

"All rightee."

"Thanks."

3:41:10 — "AMR in Bridgeport."

"Allright Seaside Park."

"Yep."

"Section No. 5, which is below the first bathhouse, between the first bathhouse and the second bathhouse, we have a report of a possible drowning at that location. It's reported there were three children in the water — two were in the process of being rescued, there were unable to find — they were unable to see the whereabouts of the third child."

"OK"

"So, FD is responding now.

'OK Section 5, between the first bathhouse and the second "

"Bathhouse."

"Bathhouse, OK?" "OK."

"Bye bye."

"Thank you."

3:41:10 — "Engine One, Marine Rescue One, Ladder 11, Rescue 5, Battalion One — Respond to a water rescue, three children in the water, Section 5 of the area of the main bathhouse, map 91. Use Channel 2. Engine One, Marine Rescue One, Rescue 5, Ladder 11, Battalion One — Respond water rescue, Seaside Park, Section 5 main bathhouse. Barnum Boulevard, map 91, use Channel 2. "Bridgeport [unintelligible] en route."

"Battalion One en route."

"Ladder 11 responding."

'Ladder 11."

3:41:11 — "911"

"Hi we're at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, and I think that someone's drowning in the water, and there's nobody here."

"Hold on."

[Phone rings.]

"Yes?"

"Hi — it's operator 48 — you got your cell phone?"

"Seaside — Section 5 — between the two bathhouses — we're on our way."

"You got you're boat going?"

"Yep, the marinas are aware, the medics are aware and everybody's on the way."

3:42:26 — "Rescue's responding."

"Rescue 5."

3:42:45 — "Engine 1."

"Engine 1."

3:43:28 — "Bridgeport Engine 3 responding."

"Engine 3."

3:43:44 — Battalion 1, we're on our way."

"Battalion 1."

"Advise all units, if they run south on Park Avenue, at University, they have one lane."

"All units responding to Seaside Park, be advised, Park Avenue has one lane at University. Use caution."

3:43:45 — "911"

"Yes, we got a report of a drowning, Seaside Park."

"We're on our way."

"Thank you."

3:45:27 — "Battalion 1 to headquarters."

"Come in Battalion 1."

"All right, be advised, we're following Bridgeport PD [unintelligible].

3:45:54: "Battalion 1 is on the scene."

"Battalion 1 is on the scene, Seaside Park. Battalion 1 is command."

3:46:39 — "Battalion 1 to Bridgeport."

"Go ahead, command."

"One victim, patient is out at this time in the process of CPR. Medics are pulling into the scene."

"Bridgeport copy, command, CPR in progress. Be advised, the way we received this initial call from the party on the cell phone, they stated that there were three parties in the water."

"All right PD is in the process of double-checking now."

"Ladder 11 on scene."

"Ladder 11 on scene, Seaside Park."

"Command to Bridgeport."

"Seaside command, go ahead."

"All right. In light of the fact that we only have one victim, we're going to utilize Ladder 11. You can return [Engine] 1 and Rescue 5." "Bridgeport to Engine 1."

"Engine 1, got that, we're returning."

"OK Engine 1. Rescue 5"

3:50:54 — [Attempts made to contact Mayor John M. Fabrizi].

3:51:39 — "Command, Bridgeport."

"Command."

"Ladder 11 is assisting in CPR — will be out of service for a period of time — destination Bridgeport [Hospital]."

"Copy Ladder 11 doing CPR"

"That's correct. One child, male, Bridgeport Hospital ER is the destination."

"Message received, Bridgeport Hospital."

"Ladder 11 will be up shortly — AMR took care of that issue."

"Message received."

3:52:45 — "Command's terminated, Battalion 1's in service."

"Battalion 1."

3:56:33 — "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"The public information officer [Michael] Giannotti, was tipped off about this, what was going on — he's going to notify the mayor — I wanted to tip you off that they might be showing up."

"All right — everyone is clearing the scene evidently he was in the water with a couple other kids — he went under, the kids never said anything."

"Right."

"Did you notice if there was a lifeguard on station there?"

"No. Evidently a citizen went in when the mother started screaming — a citizen went in, grabbed him, got him out. And evidently there was a nurse down there — she started CPR immediately."

"Right."

"Evidently, from what they're saying, I mean, times could be off, but he was probably under for several minutes."

"Right, OK, all right, Bill."

"They took him to Bridgeport, code."

"Everyone's going to Bridgeport, the mother too."

"He's probably better off up there."

Emergency calls during Seaside Park drowning.

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