RENO, Nev. — A video, shared to a Reno television station after circulating on social media, shows a man apparently in distress on a rock in the water while three emergency responders watch him without intervening.
Members of the public can be heard yelling at the responders to assist the man, until a bystander goes into the water to rescue the man.
A woman can be heard screaming, “You guys should be the ones going down to help. Really, you’re going to let this guy go save him?”
Brian King, the 71-year-old who rescued the man, later told KOLO TV, “If that was your dad laying on the rocks, whether he was drunk, whether he was a vagrant, whatever, would you help him?”
REMSA spokesperson Kevin Romero said going into the water could have done more harm than good as the man didn’t appear to be in immediate danger. Also, he was cooperating with paramedics. That is why the medics wanted to wait for the fire department’s water rescue team.
“There’s also the possibility that there could be further injury to a patient if you’re not fully trained and aware of the situation. In that situation, we don’t know what happened. We don’t know if there was a fall or other extenuating circumstance that might result in further harm,” Reno Fire Department Chief Dave Cochran said.
Even though the water was low, Reno police said it was still a liability. The medics had to weigh the patient’s safety as well as their own.
The protocol said the fire department water rescue team was supposed to make the rescue in the water. EMS providers then assess and treat the patient on land.
“Is it beneficial to go out there? Is it a risk to us? Is he in danger? Is it immediate? All those things float in their minds and the decision was we can wait for the fire guys to get out there,” Lt. William Rulla of the Reno Police Department said.
The man in the water was treated once he was on land, and police, fire department and EMS agency said the decision taken was appropriate.