Oregon Firefighter Drowns In Rescue Attempt

A volunteer firefighter has died while trying to rescue a drowning victim on the northern Oregon coast.

Robert Chisholm, 51, drowned Sunday morning. He and another firefighter had gone into the surf wearing wetsuits to look for the missing swimmer.

The men were unable to find the swimmer, whose body was recovered by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter about 30 minutes later.

The swimmer was identified as George Stan. No other details were available.

Chisholm also was the city of Gearhart’s public works director.

“If you define hero, that’s what you’d see in Bob,” said Randy Curs, assistant fire chief. “He’d do anything for anybody who needed it.”

Chisholm and the other firefighter, Dr. Darin Dichter, swam past the surf to the area where the drowning victim’s family had last seen him, city manager Dennis McNally said.

Chisholm told Dichter he was feeling tired. After the two men couldn’t locate the swimmer, they turned back toward the beach. Chisholm passed out a short time later.

Dichter dragged Chisholm to shore, but could not revive him.

As public works director, Chisholm worked to upgrade the city’s water and sewer systems. Recently he had camped on the doorstep of a contractor to prod him to get some street lights working, Mayor Ollie Vernor said.

“He’s going to be really missed,” Vernor said. “He was a personal friend, but more important, he was just a true gentleman, probably one of the best people I ever knew in my life. I never knew him to say a harmful word about anyone.”