"On Tuesday Jan 18, 2011, LACo OL Andrew Czer was at the Charthouse Malibu point near Topanga beach checking out the surf.
Suddenly an adult male not paying attention fell almost 30 feet to the rocks below. Andrew and another surfer found the unconscious man and called lifeguards for help.
Capt Robert Torres and OLS, Sam Bertolet and additional fire - paramedic crews responded. Andrew stayed on scene and used his EMT skills to help treat the patient.
The patient was transported with the stokes basket and later airlifted by the "LA County Fire Hawk 15" helicopter to the hospital.
Andrew also worked the busy Martin Luther King holiday the day before and had a double rescue in Venice as the sun was setting.
Congratulations Andrew for your fine rescue work."
Harry Varnas
(In the photo above, OL Andrew Czer, off duty and gloved up!)
(In the photo above, OLS, Sam Bertolet, in his red LACo fleece)
(In the photo above, OL Andrew Czer, assists in extricating the victim by backboard over the rocks)
All photos by Harry Varnas. Used here with permission.
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Heads up! Just in from Andrew Czer! Andrew's own remarks about this team effort to help this accident victim.
"Will,
Thanks for the post. It was great to be a part of this rescue. Rob (Torres) and Sam (Bertolet) were great on scene. When down on the rocks with the tide coming up (and the large sets rolling in), Sam kept reassuring the wary firefighters that we wouldn't get swept out to sea.
Also, the surfer who assisted me in the initial response was a Will Rodgers JG with me back in the day. He is also an EMT; the operation wouldn't have been successful without him. His name is Ted.
In addition to this, Rob made sure that I was covered medically for the exposure I had from the victim's blood. So really this was a team effort. Oh and I can't forget Harry who I had talked to when I called CSHQ after seeing the unconscious patient on the rocks. Harry got the ball rolling in regards to the lifeguard and fire response.
Thanks!
Andrew
PS thanks for always keeping us informed. It is greatly appreciated."
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Many Thanks to Harry Varnas for sharing this great rescue story and photos with all of us and, of course, kudos and high five's to OL Andrew Czer for delaying his surf session and launching and participating in this successful rescue operation.
Stay tuned as we try to hunt down "Surfer Ted" and get more of his back story !
Additionally, we would be remiss if we didn't give a special shout-out to LACo Recurrent Andrew Czer and his surf bud, "Surfer Ted", for proving that "going surfing saves lives!"
Until next time.....
"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com
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