OSSA Annual Conference

This year's annual conference was a huge success, held in beautiful Bend, Oregon at the Bend Riverhouse Hotel the week of December 7th, with over 160 conference attendees and 80 vendors.

Election of OSSA Officers was held. Wasco County Sheriff Rick Eiesland was elected President, Sheriff Tom Bergin was elected Vice President and Deschutes County Sheriff Larry Blanton was elected Secretary for the coming year.

At the conference, updates were given on OSSA committees and presentations by the Marine Board, Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, Department of Corrections, Oregon Executive Development Institute, FBI and the Department of Justice, as well as many others. Frontline Leadership provided 8 hours of excellent training. The ups and downs of law inforcement may not hold the dire circumstances of airborne combat, but there are lessons we can learn. Sgt. Donald G. Malarkey and leadership consultants Vance Day shared amazing stories of the gallantry and courage of "Easy" Company, 506 Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne, during World War II.

Sgt. Malarkey is prominently featured in the award winning HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers" produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Vance Day is an accomplished trial lawyer and a member of the Oregon State Bar. He has lectured on military history and leadership theory at The White House, before members of Congress, as well as many others.

One of the highlights at the conference is always the awards banquet. This year OSSA is proud to present the following awards:

The Life Saving Award is given to an individual who performs an active, distinctive successful saving of a life of another person. There must have been a strong possibility the person would have died if the action had not been taken. This year there were fifteen recipients.

Lieutenant John Ward, Curry County Sheriff's Office and SAR member Joseph Martin saved the life of 92-year-old Melvin Spicer who had failed to negotiate a turn and ran off the road into Lobster Creek. The creek was running very swiftly from spring runoffs and the water was very cold.

Lt. Ward and SAR Member Martin responded very quickly, arriving without delay. They had the right training, right equipment and knew exactly what to do. Upon arrival at the crash scene, they located the vehicle and quickly developed a plan. Within minutes they entered the water and made contact with Mr. Spicer, who despite having already spent 25 minutes in waist-deep cold water, was alive and conscious. With assistance of a ladder provided by Fire/EMS crews, Ward and Martin were able to remove Mr. Spicer from the vehicle over the outstretched ladder to safety, despite the swift, cold water swirling all around them.

Detective Mike Sundberg, Deschutes County Sheriff's Office saved the life of Jean Workman while he was off duty, out driving with his family. Noticing a vehicle in the shrubs near a gas station, he circled around and found a female inside the car.

Detective Sundberg quickly realized the woman's life was in immediate jeopardy so without hesitation, he broke the window, freed the woman and began performing CPR until the paramedics arrived. Ms. Workman was transported to the hospital, survived and is now recovering.

Deputy Mark Eggert, Deschutes County Sheriff's Office and Trooper Andy McCool, Oregon State Police, while on a traffic stop together, heard a dispatch of a man down and CPR in progress. They immediately responded to the residence to find the victim's wife attempting CPR. Deputy Eggert and Trooper McCool took over CPR until Redmond Fire Medics arrived. The individual was transported, survived and is recovering.

The close attention to the radio and quick response to the scene by Deputy Eggert and Trooper McCool saved this man's life.

Deputies Daniel Tague and Chuck Poré, Lake County Sheriff's Office and Ranger Patrick Apley, Bureau of Land Management, responded to a 911 call regarding a motorist complaining of chest pain. They were a perfect emergency response team as Deputy Poré, a former EMT, Deputy Tague, a current EMT and Ranger Apley, a former nurse.

Upon arrival, they found the male victim who while cutting wood suddenly entered cardiac arrest. For the next 5-10 minutes while waiting for an ambulance, Deputy Poré did cardiac compressions while Deputy Tague and Ranger Apley worked to maintain an airway and oxygenation. At least twice an automated external defibrillator was applied, subjecting the victim to cardiac shock.

The individual was transported to the hospital and although sore in the area of his sternum, he has made a complete recovery, thanks to the quick action of these three heroic individuals.

Deputy Michael Lee, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, Officer Jon Pemberton, Fairview Police Department and Wood Village citizen James Franklin Stolfa saved the lives of individuals trapped in a burning vehicle.

The incident began when Deputy Lee attempted a traffic stop. The suspect, instead of slowing to stop, sped away. Going at a high rate of speed, the driver lost control of the vehicle and went down a 15-20 foot embankment, finally coming to a stop on its top near a local business.

As Deputy Lee approached the vehicle, he could hear at least two individuals screaming, "get me out" repeatedly. Moments later the vehicle caught on fire. The driver fled on foot, leaving his friends in the burning vehicle. Grabbing his fire extinguisher, Deputy Lee quickly made his way to the vehicle. As he tried to extinguish the flames, James Franklin Stolfa broke a window and pulled one of the occupants to safety. Officer Pemberton pulled the other individual from the car, taking that person to safety. Moments later, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames.

Thanks to the quick actions of these three individuals, two lives were saved.

Deputies Billy Cloud and Chuck Reeder, Tillamook County Sheriff's Office are awarded for their involvement in saving the lives of seven people who were in two vehicles that crashed into a creek and had floated down stream.

Deputies Cloud and Reeder were working to rescue victims of the first vehicle which was fully submerged. The mother was on the roof, clinging to a tree limb, with water surging all around, holding her two foster children. Another child had already climbed to safety.

Using a 35-foot, three stage ladder from one of the emergency vehicles, Firefighter Aaron Burris made his way out and lowered a rope to McRae who tied it around the chest of her daughter. The child was hoisted up slowly, pulling the rope hand over hand and then repeated for the boy. Both children were handed to Deputy Reeder who handed them off to rescuers on land, including Deputy Cloud, who then rushed the obviously hypothermic, lethargic children to waiting ambulances. Deputy Cloud also requested a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter be dispatched to assist with rescue efforts if needed.

They then used a ladder to make a teeter-totter and using body weight to balance the ladder, rescued McRae. A minute after the rescue, raging water boiled over McRae's vehicle.

The Meritorious Achievement Awards are for noteworthy achievement brought about by special effort or unusual service, beyond what would be expected. These awards went to Detective Mike Shockey, Clatsop County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Eric Sorby, Lincoln County Sheriff's Office and Detective Lee Gosson, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.

The Distinguished Action Awards are given for service "above and beyond" that which is normally expected, resulting in noteworthy accomplishment.

Deputies Rian Hakala and Matthew Ferguson, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to check on a stalled and occupied vehicle on Interstate 84. While enroute, they learned that a passing motorist had stopped to assist and had been threatened with a firearm by the individual in the stalled vehicle.

Upon arrival, Deputies Ferguson and Hakala attempted to contact and gain compliance from the vehicle occupant. Eventually they approached the vehicle where the occupant, an elderly male, picked up and displayed the firearm.

Deputies Ferguson and Hakala ordered the occupant to drop the firearm, which he finally did but later suddenly reached under the seat to get it back. Deputy Hakala maintained lethal cover and verbal direction while Deputy Ferguson broke out the driver's side window and secured the handgun.

Deputies then physically removed the individual and placed him into custody. It was later determined that he had suffered a stroke and as a result suffered from dementia.

He was taken to a secure medical facility for further treatment and evaluation. Deputies Hakala and Ferguson, at great risk to themselves, acted in an exemplary professional and tactically decisive manner with the utmost restraint and empathy for the occupant.

Nickolas Edwards, Marion County citizen for saving the life of 21-year-old Destiny Edwards by pulling her from her vehicle that was engulfed in flames.

Nickolas Edwards (no relation to the victim), did not witness the crash but saw the vehicle off the road with flames coming from the engine, and saw a woman stuck inside. He ran to the car and heard her screaming for help. Nickolas kicked the windshield until he forced a crack and then pried the windshield open enough so he could help pull Destiny out of the car.

He then helped get her away from the car and assisted until paramedics and emergency personnel arrived. Nickolas, although receiving numerous cuts on his hands, saved Destiny's life with his heroic action.

Civil Command Council Awards

Civil Manager of the year -- Civil Manager/Administrative Assistant Cathie Falck, Union County Sheriff's Office

Barb Perry Civil Support Staff of the Year -- Support Services Technician Marcela Sevidy, Marion County Sheriff's Office

Civil Deputy of the Year -- Deputy Linda Crook, Jackson County Sheriff's Office

Volunteer of the Year -- Don Stone, Jackson County Sheriff's Office

Enforcement Command Council Awards

Commander of the Year -- Captain Dave O'Shaughnessy, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office

Supervisor of the Year -- Sergeant Matt Thomson, Jackson County Sheriff's Office

Deputy of the Year -- Detective Mike Sundberg, Deschutes County Sheriff's Office

Volunteer of the Year -- David and Zoe Ann Liggett, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

Jail Command Council Awards

Jail Commander of the Year -- Lieutenant Jeannette Davidson, Klamath County Sheriff's Office

Outstanding Supervisor of the Year -- Sergeant Todd Iverson, Washington County Sheriff's Office

Outstanding Employee of the Year -- Deputy Angela Nielsen, Washington County Sheriff's Office

Outstanding Volunteer of the Year -- Charlene Sabini, Lane County Sheriff's Office

Search & Rescue Advisory Council Awards

SAR Manager of the Year -- Lieutenant Patrick Rowland, Jackson County Sheriff's Office

SAR Volunteer of the Year -- Mack Reid, Yamhill County Sheriff's Office

SAR Special Commendation Award -- David Prouty and Rob Cruickshank, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office

SAR Meritorious Service Award -- Nate Meehan and Aaron Hartz, Corvallis Mountain Rescue Unit, Benton County Sheriff's Office

Presidential Awards presented at the conference went to Trisch Clark and Jennifer Lawrence, Deschutes County Sheriff's Office; Emily Preator, Washington County Sheriff's Office; Dennis Griffiths, Retired OSSA Historian; Vicky Knutson and Judy Gage, OSSA Staff; Undersheriff Terry Huntsman, Tillamook County Sheriff's Office; Sheriff Tom Bergin, Clatsop County, Retired Sheriff Art Martinak, Linn County, Sheriff Diana Simpson, Benton County and Sheriff Robert Wolfe, Polk County.