Five Wenatchee-area heroes honored

Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by nevonnemcdaniels in People

Five Wenatchee-area heroes are among 29 recognized with lifesaving and humanitarian awards at the 58th annual Governor’s Industrial Safety and Health Conference in Tacoma Oct. 7-8.

Their heroic acts aided individuals involved in vehicle accidents, who suffered heart attacks, near-drownings, choking incidents and other perils.

Washington State Patrol Trooper James Arnold was enjoying a June afternoon at a Lake Wenatchee residence when he looked out the window and observed what appeared to be a man struggling in cold water about 100 yards off shore.

Walking outside for a closer look, he realized the man was struggling to get back on his overturned jet ski. Arnold grabbed a small row boat and paddled as quickly as he could since the man was losing the strength to stay above the water.

As Arnold reached the exhausted man, he was able to pull him out of the water and into the boat just as the jet ski sank to the bottom of the lake.
Arnold’s quick reactions helped prevent a likely drowning from hypothermia and exhaustion.

Chelan County PUD employees Janet Jaspers, Randy Lowe and Hugh Owen were out jogging during their lunch hour when they saw a young woman standing outside a railing of the pedestrian bridge at Wenatchee’s Confluence State Park.

The height of the bridge from the river bed below is approximately 35-40 feet. As the employees approached the young woman, Jaspers told her to come back over the rail and stand on the inside. She refused, indicating she was suicidal and would not be coming back over the rail.

Realizing that the situation was critical, Lowe ran back to one of our nearest facilities to call 911 for help while Owens and Jaspers remained at the pedestrian bridge with the young woman.

Jaspers continued talking with the woman, eventually convincing her to return to the inside of the railing. The woman agreed to go the hospital when paramedics arrived.

Rex King of the Monitor Fire Department was on his way home when he saw black smoke billowing from the Fontanelle Retirement Condominium Community.

Although off duty, King radioed to report tall flames coming from a garage and several condominium units. The battalion chief arrived and prepared a fire hydrant as King pounded on doors to evacuate residents.

King rescued several residents as their attics were burning — some only minutes away from their ceilings caving in. The fire turned out to be the most destructive residential fire in Wenatchee in more than a decade, wiping out five homes and badly damaging a sixth.

King’s fast actions and attentiveness helped save several lives.