[OSMB-News] News Release -Columbia County Officers Honored for their Life Saving Efforts

[Massey, Ashley]

For Immediate Release                                                                Date: Monday, October 3, 2011

Columbia County Officers Honored for their Life Saving Efforts
[cid:image002.jpg at 01CC81D9.719D91E0]
               The Oregon State Marine Board recognized the life-saving efforts of Deputy Russ George and Officer Ron Larson at their annual post-season Law Enforcement Conference, held on Monday, September 26 in Eugene.
            It was late in the evening on May 19, 2011 when Columbia 911 Dispatch received a call from residents in Prescott who said they heard screams coming from the river.  There were no deputies on duty at the time of the call, but Marine Deputy Russ George was called in to attempt a rescue.  Around the same time, another call was sent to the City of Rainier Police Department, where Officer Ron Larson responded.  Both the officer and deputy arrived at sheriff's boat launch in Rainier, and in less than half an hour, Deputy Russ George and Officer Ron Larson found the men, in nearly black-out conditions and rescued them from the frigid water.  Both victims were barely conscious.  Paramedics who arrived at the scene estimated that only a few minutes more, and the two would have lost consciousness completely.
            Both of the rescued men entered the canoe from their camping spot at Prescott Beach and were not wearing life jackets.  Both men were in the water nearly an hour and drifted more than a mile.
"This is a case of quick action by the off-duty deputy when he got the call and a team effort with the dispatch center, the Rainier Police Department and Columbia River Fire and Rescue," said Columbia County Sheriff Jeff Dickerson.
In a nomination letter to the Marine Board, Deputy George wrote, "Without Officer Larson's assistance, the Marine Deputy would not have been able to perform the rescue of the two subjects."   Both officers clearly helped each other and thanks to their efforts, everyone was able to go home safe that night.
###
*Photo (left to right): Marine Board Chair, George Tinker (Coos Bay), Officer Ron Larson, Deputy Russ George, and Marine Board Director, Scott Brewen.



Ashley A. Massey
Public Information Officer
Oregon State Marine Board
503-378-2623
Ashley.massey at state.or.us<mailto:Ashley.massey at state.or.us>

[cid:image003.jpg at 01CC81D9.719D91E0]<http://www.boatoregon.com/>     [cid:image004.png at 01CC81D9.719D91E0] <http://www.facebook.com/boatoregon>    [cid:image005.jpg at 01CC81D9.719D91E0] <http://twitter.com/marineboard>    [cid:image006.jpg at 01CC81D9.719D91E0] <http://www.youtube.com/user/MarineBoard>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/osmb-news/attachments/20111003/a0ae5ac4/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 14499 bytes
Desc: image001.jpg
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/osmb-news/attachments/20111003/a0ae5ac4/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 17863 bytes
Desc: image002.jpg
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/osmb-news/attachments/20111003/a0ae5ac4/attachment-0001.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1767 bytes
Desc: image003.jpg
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/osmb-news/attachments/20111003/a0ae5ac4/attachment-0002.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image004.png
Type: image/png
Size: 2941 bytes
Desc: image004.png
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/osmb-news/attachments/20111003/a0ae5ac4/attachment.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image005.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1207 bytes
Desc: image005.jpg
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/osmb-news/attachments/20111003/a0ae5ac4/attachment-0003.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image006.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1154 bytes
Desc: image006.jpg
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/osmb-news/attachments/20111003/a0ae5ac4/attachment-0004.jpg>