Thirteen State Lifeguards and Two Park Aides Receive Honors for Saving Lives

Name	Title	Park	Emergency	Date
Joseph Apicella Oakville, CT	Lifeguard Supervisor	Black Rock State Park	Joe made four rescues this year involving six children. Two of his four rescues were double rescues. On two separate occasions Joe observed two young girls who were unable to swim. He raced into the water and pulled them out. Aside from being upset and frightened, the girls were fine.	6/13; 7/4; 7/17/2004
Sahar Barfchin Orange, CT	Lifeguard	Silver Sands State Park	Sahar rescued a nineteen year old woman who fell off the sandbar at Silver Sands State Park. The victim was attempting to reach the shore but the strong current was taking her further out. Sahar grabbed the rescue board, paddled out, and brought her to shore.	7/20/2004
Matthew Blum Watertown, CT	Lifeguard	Black Rock State Park	Matthew made two rescues this year. Matt observed a seven year old girl submerge to the bottom of the pond. He raced into the water, and retrieved her. Matt also rescued a two year old who was wearing a life jacket improperly, and was trapped face down in the water.	6/13; 7/7/2004
Keith Cargan North Haven, CT	Lifeguard Supervisor	Wharton Brook State Park	Keith rescued a very young child who was submerged, and unable to return to the surface. Keith witnessed the victim go under, and quickly returned the child to land. This is the sixth year (out of the past seven) that Keith has received this award.	6/24/2004
Daniel Clifford Milford, CT	Lifeguard	Silver Sands State Park	In his first year as a Connecticut State Parks Lifeguard, Dan rescued a fourteen year old boy who was trapped just off the sand bar at Silver Sands State Park. Dan witnessed the victim leave the sandbar, and attempt to swim to Charles Island. Recognizing the danger, Dan alertly kayaked out, and returned the young man to shore.	7/2/2004
Keegan Drenosky Trumbull, CT	Lifeguard Supervisor	Indian Well State Park	While on patrol at Silver Sands State Park, Keegan performed a double rescue involving adult males who were swept off the sandbar by the ocean current. Neither was a strong swimmer. Keegan recognized the danger, and used the rescue board to assist the men back to shore.	6/19/2004
Matthew Haight Shelton, CT	Lifeguard	Indian Well State Park	While on duty at Indian Well State Park, Matt observed a twelve year old boy having trouble swimming. Once the boy began to submerge, Matt raced into the water, grabbed him, and safely returned him to his parents.	7/11/2004
Matthew Huntley Durham, CT	Lifeguard Captain	Hammonasset Beach State Park	Matt rescued a ten year old boy who was having an asthma attack while swimming. Matt witnessed the child acting strangely. When family members alerted him of the asthma attack, Matt quickly removed him from the water and provided assistance until the ambulance arrived.	7/10/2004
Renee Lazar Woodbury, CT	Lifeguard	Black Rock State Park	Renee rescued three children this year while on duty at Black Rock State Park. Renee observed an eight year old boy barely able to swim. When the boy went under, Renee grabbed him and returned him to safety. Her other two rescues involved two year old victims.	6/13; 6/27; 7/11/2004
Peter Longo Farmington, CT	Lifeguard	Black Rock State Park	Peter made two rescues this year at Black Rock State Park. Both rescues involved very young children who were in the deepest section of the pond, and unable to swim. Peter quickly removed the children from the water, and returned them to their parents.	8/1; 8/6/2004
Luke Mitchell Orange, CT	Lifeguard Captain	Indian Well State Park	Luke rescued three children this year. In each case, Luke recognized the danger the children were facing, and quickly grabbed each returning them to their parents before the situation worsened.	7/11; 7/17; 8/14/2004
Matthew Rimmer Branford, CT	Lifeguard	Hammonasset Beach State Park	In his first year as a Connecticut State Parks Lifeguard, Matthew rescued a fisherman whose boat overturned in Long Island Sound. Matthew witnessed the accident, and used a rescue board to transport the man to shore.	8/12/2004
Preston Roth Higganum, CT	Lifeguard	Hammonasset Beach State Park	While on duty at Hammonassett Beach, Preston observed a twenty three year old woman being taken out by the strong ocean current. The victim was unable to swim against the current to the shore by herself. Preston swam to her aid, returning her to safety.	8/25/2004
James Lyon New Milford, CT and Seth Toensing Falls Village, CT	Park Aides	Kent Falls State Park	While on duty at Kent Falls State Park, James and Seth noticed a vehicle in the parking lot at a time when the park was closed. They went to see if the occupants were in need of assistance, and noticed that one of the individuals was severely intoxicated. Being an EMT, Seth contacted the Sharon Hospital Emergency Room for advise. At this time, the victim started losing consciousness and breathing with difficulty. En route to the emergency room, the victim's airway became obstructed many times requiring constant care for the entire trip. The victim arrived at the emergency room safely, was treated, and released. Both James Lyon and Seth Toensing are commended for their sharp observations, quick and decisive thinking, and the ability to act under extremely difficult conditions to save the life of another human being.	7/10/2004