Fire Commission honors Captain Beth Goudreau for night offshore rescue
October 27, 2021 | San Francisco City, San Francisco County, California
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The San Francisco Fire Commission on a virtual meeting read into the record a detailed account of an Aug. 16, 2021 offshore rescue that officials said saved a 23-year-old sailor’s life.
President Katherine Feinstein read a department summary describing a U.S. Coast Guard request to evacuate a person who had ingested antifreeze aboard a small sailboat about 380 miles off Bodega Bay. According to the department account, the Coast Guard deployed aircraft and a rescue swimmer and conducted en route refueling stops; the rescue ultimately required multiple units and cross-agency coordination. Chief Janine Nicholson identified Rescue Captain Beth Goudreau as the most experienced on duty and selected for the transfer.
“Captain Goudreau prepared for every potential patient presentation,” the department report said, and once aboard the Coast Guard helicopter she assisted with airway management, positive-pressure ventilation, EKG monitoring and shock treatment. After the long transfer to San Francisco and ground transport to San Francisco General Hospital, the patient spent time in intensive care and was later reported to be recovering at home.
Captain Goudreau told the commission she was “honored to be part of their team” and thanked Coast Guard personnel and hospital staff. Commissioners responded with sustained praise: Commissioner Ken Cleveland called her “very brave,” Commissioner Francie Covington and Vice President Steven Acasio thanked her for her work, and President Feinstein read the official account into the record.
Why it matters: The account highlights interagency search-and-rescue coordination and emergency medical care delivered in an unusually hazardous environment, stressing the city department’s role in regional maritime rescue operations. The commission’s formal recognition also documented the department’s post-incident review and multiunit cooperation.
What’s next: The commission recorded the recognition and moved on to other business; no formal action beyond acknowledgment and thanks was taken.
President Katherine Feinstein read a department summary describing a U.S. Coast Guard request to evacuate a person who had ingested antifreeze aboard a small sailboat about 380 miles off Bodega Bay. According to the department account, the Coast Guard deployed aircraft and a rescue swimmer and conducted en route refueling stops; the rescue ultimately required multiple units and cross-agency coordination. Chief Janine Nicholson identified Rescue Captain Beth Goudreau as the most experienced on duty and selected for the transfer.
“Captain Goudreau prepared for every potential patient presentation,” the department report said, and once aboard the Coast Guard helicopter she assisted with airway management, positive-pressure ventilation, EKG monitoring and shock treatment. After the long transfer to San Francisco and ground transport to San Francisco General Hospital, the patient spent time in intensive care and was later reported to be recovering at home.
Captain Goudreau told the commission she was “honored to be part of their team” and thanked Coast Guard personnel and hospital staff. Commissioners responded with sustained praise: Commissioner Ken Cleveland called her “very brave,” Commissioner Francie Covington and Vice President Steven Acasio thanked her for her work, and President Feinstein read the official account into the record.
Why it matters: The account highlights interagency search-and-rescue coordination and emergency medical care delivered in an unusually hazardous environment, stressing the city department’s role in regional maritime rescue operations. The commission’s formal recognition also documented the department’s post-incident review and multiunit cooperation.
What’s next: The commission recorded the recognition and moved on to other business; no formal action beyond acknowledgment and thanks was taken.
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