From saving people from freezing conditions to helping someone who was seriously injured, all 10 are being honored for their quick thinking and fast action.
Award recipients are selected by a three-member panel within the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
The North Iowans being honored are:
• Tianna Sullivan, Osage, Meritorious Award
On Jan. 19, Sullivan, 17, was driving home at about 1:30 a.m. when she noticed an older woman clothed only in a hospital gown standing in the middle of the street. The temperature was about 8 degrees below zero.
The woman, 88-year-old Marguerite Miller, had walked out of a nearby care facility and the alarm failed to alert the staff at the facility.
When Sullivan got out of her car she saw that Miller was shaking and had nothing on her feet. Miller clung tightly to Sullivan which prevented her from getting her into the car.
Sullivan called 911 and within five minutes Osage Police Officer Brian Wright responded and noted that Miller was very disoriented.
The next day Miller was transferred to the burn center at University Hospitals in Iowa City where she was treated for severe frostbite on her hands and feet.
• Kurt Walderbach, Mason City, Lifesaving with Valor
On Dec. 5, 2007, a deputy from the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department initiated a traffic stop northeast of Mason City. The vehicle sped away when the deputy attempted to make contact with the driver.
The deputy chased the vehicle for a short time until he lost sight of it in the dark. The driver of the vehicle lost control and drove the vehicle into the frozen Winnebago River.
The vehicle was upside down and submerged with passenger Francis Boyle still inside.
There were three other occupants in the vehicle who escaped and left Boyle behind. They went to Kurt Walderbach’s house and explained what happened.
Walderbach contacted the authorities and then went to the submerged vehicle.
Walderbach reached the scene and assisted a sheriff’s deputy who was already on the ice trying to get to the victim.
Boyle had been submerged in water up to his neck for 20 minutes. The deputy broke through the ice while attempting to free Boyle. Walderbach assisted by aiding the deputy from falling into the river and also in pulling Boyle out of the submerging vehicle and onto shore.
The cold temperatures, dark environment, location and the necessity of relying on the river’s ice for footing made this rescue risky to all involved.
• Jennifer Bright, Allison, Meritorious Award
On April 21, 2007, at about 5 p.m. Jennifer Bright was on her way home near Allison. She was following a full-sized conversion van but lost sight of it over a hill. Upon cresting the hill she saw the van on its side in the ditch with the driver standing next to it appearing disoriented. He kept saying, “My kids are in the car.”
Bright entered the van twice and removed toddlers ages 3 and 1 from the van. She returned a third time to turn off the engine. Bright took them to her home and contacted the Butler County Sheriff’s Department.
• Beau Thompson, Meg Thompson and Corrine Thompson, all of Greene, Lifesaving Awards
• Casey Liekweg, Rockwell, and Calley Steere, Greene, Meritorious Awards
On April 18, Leonard Weiss and Melvin Yerkes were ice fishing on what is locally known as Mel’s Pond, when Yerkes went into the house to make lunch.
As Weiss made his way to shore he fell through the ice into 14 feet of water and was submerged for a short period of time before yelling for help.
It was then he heard a young voice say, “I can hear you, but I can’t see you.”
Beau Thompson, 8, and his sister, Meg, 5, had come upon the man and then ran home to tell their mother.
Their mother, Corrine Thompson, and the two children ran to the pond along with two visitors, Calley Steere, 18, and Casey Liekweg, 17.
Weiss told them to go to the shack and tell Yerkes to bring a rope.
Corrine Thompson was able to get the rope out to Weiss.
The group, with the help of a sheriff’s deputy, was able to pull Weiss out of the water and onto the dock.
Weiss spent five hours in the hospital recovering. The doctors said he was lucky to be alive after being in the cold water for an extended period of time.
• Nathan Eischen, Forest City, Lifesaving with Valor
On March 19, Georgia Ann Christensen and her daughter-in-law, Nancy, were traveling on Highway 18 in Kossuth County when she lost control of her vehicle and it slid across the center line into the path of another vehicle.
The Christensen vehicle was struck on the passenger side, causing it to roll. After landing on its wheels in the ditch the automobile started on fire.
Nathan Eischen came upon the accident and stopped to help. Bystanders attempted to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher but were unsuccessful.
Eischen entered the back seat to unfasten the seat belts of the two rear passengers. He exited the vehicle and pulled Georgia Christensen out from behind the steering wheel. He then opened the front passenger door and pulled Nancy Christensen from the vehicle. Nancy Christensen did not survive the crash.
• Thomas Christensen, Mason City, Meritorious Award
On April 26, Tommy Christensen, Nate Gabrielson and Austin Walker were target-shooting with a BB gun in a friend’s basement.
As Gabrielson was charging the weapon it discharged, sending a BB into his neck where it severed an artery, nicked another and lodged in his spine.
Gabrielson put his hand on his neck, which was instantly covered in blood.
Christensen quickly told Gabrielson to take off his shirt and applied pressure to the wound.
Christensen and Walker helped him outside, where he was able to call his mother. LuAnn Christensen drove him to the emergency room. He was then sent by helicopter ambulance to a hospital in Rochester, Minn.
Iowans from other parts of the state to be honored follow.
• Lifesaving with Valor — Steve McGuire, Iowa City; Mark Petersen, North Liberty; Cory Rath, Cedar Rapids; Josh Shepherd, Iowa City.
On Dec. 14, 2007, at about 4:30 p.m., Michelle Kehoe and her two sons, 14-month- old Seth and 6-year-old Sean, were on their way to the library. Kehoe lost control of her car, hitting a curb which caused it to slide over an ice-covered area and then plunge into the Iowa River. Upon impact, the entire front end of the vehicle went underwater and then re-surfaced. The frigid water immediately began rushing in under the door panels. Kehoe pressed the power button to roll the windows down, and she heard people from the bank yelling that swimmers were on their way. The swimmers were three men who had separately witnessed the accident and stopped to help.
After getting 6 year-old Sean out of his booster seat, Kehoe handed him out the window and into the arms of Cory Rath who immediately started back to shore with him. She then reached into the back seat again to remove Seth from his car seat and handed him out the window to Mark Petersen. Petersen began to swim with Seth, but his own coat became saturated with water which weighed him down. He told Josh Shepherd he would need to take the baby the rest of the way to shore because he was having difficulty trying to swim. Shepherd took Seth and swam him to safety.
Kehoe climbed out of the vehicle and attempted to swim towards shore, but was pulled underwater twice from the current. She changed her approach and went under water two more times. Steve McGuire came along on his bicycle and saw her struggling in the water. He dropped his bike and swam out to help her. Michelle was reunited with her children and everyone was fine.
• Lifesaving Award — Melvin Halsrud, Estherville;
• Scott Hofbauer, Jackson, Minn.; Chad Potratz, Fenton; Boyd Quastad, Estherville.
On May 16, 2007, Doug Schroeder was driving his front end-loader east on Highway 9 when he met his friend, Boyd Quastad. After a brief conversation, Schroeder turned his front-loader around to head back to his residence with Quastad. All Schroeder remembers next was backing up and the end loader rolling over on him. He felt a crushing feeling and his face buried in the dirt just before blacking out.
Three men, Melvin Halsrud from Estherville, Scott Hofbauer from Jackson, Minn., and Chad Potratz from Fenton, stumbled upon the accident. All three gentlemen along with Quastad, took it upon themselves to lift the end loader off of Schroeder. Shortly thereafter, Emmett County Deputy Jeff Merrill arrived to see the four men holding the machine up off of Schroeder. One of the men told him that Schroeder was not breathing.
Deputy Merrill noticed Schroeder was very ashen and cyanotic, but he had a pulse. After a few pressurized breaths, he noticed Schroeder was breathing and rolled him onto his side. The ambulance arrived and took him to a nearby hospital. He was later life-flighted to a hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. Schroeder suffered a punctured lung, rib fractures and contusions. He has recovered from his injuries, thanks to the work of the three men.
• Lifesaving with Valor Award, Michael Stevens, Iowa City; Meritorious Award, Christy Stevens, Iowa City.
On July 15, 2007, Michael and Christy Stevens, along with her mother, Glorine Berry, were traveling westbound on Interstate 80 in Poweshiek County. They noticed the SUV in front of them appeared to be pulling onto the shoulder and continuing into the ditch. They did not see any brake lights and the vehicle collided with an embankment which caused it to catch on fire.
The driver of the SUV, Lynne Gillen, was incoherent and both of her ankles were crushed. Michael Stevens was able to get Gillen unbuckled and pull her from the vehicle before it was fully engulfed causing several explosions. Michael, Christy, and another unknown citizen carried Gillen up the embankment away from the burning vehicle.
Due to her physical injuries and incoherent state, Gillen would not have been able to escape before the vehicle became fully engulfed.
• Meritorious Award — Caleb Bashore, Letts; Maxwell Bloomquist, Fruitland; Cory Clevenger — Letts; Dillon Cooney, Muscatine; Benjamin Gardner, Wapello; West Gatlin, Letts; Travis Hargrave, Frutiland; Dakota Hoben, Wapello; Matthew Wilson, Letts; Jordyn Schaper, Lett; Trevor Schaper, Letts; Keith Stigers, Letts.
On the last day of school, June 1, 2007, several students were swimming at the Schaper’s house when the weather turned bad. A tornado caused extensive damage to several surrounding homes. Helen Thompson, 91, was home alone when the tornado hit her home. She was injured and bleeding badly from her wounds.
Dressed only in swimsuits and shirts, Matthew Wilson, Travis Hargrave, Dakota Hoben, Cory Clevenger, Dillon Cooney, Wes Gatlin, Benjamin Gardner, Maxwell Bloomquist, Caleb Bashore, Trevor Schaper, Jordyn Schaper, and Keith Stigers went to Thompson’s aid and to the aid of other citizens in the area.
Travis, Matt, and Dakota climbed through a window at Thompson’s residence and wrapped her wounds in towels. Corey and Dillon gave up their shirts to be used as bandages for Thompson. Jordyn called 911 and kicked the door in to remove her from her residence. Max and Corey carried a chair from Thompson’s residence to the end of the drive for her to sit in until medical help arrived. Thompson’s doctor later said if the boys had not acted swiftly and correctly, she could have died from her injuries.
Wes, Caleb, Trevor and Keith went to a separate home which had been leveled. They were trying to locate two children from this home when Ben noticed his friends did not have their shoes on. After he returned with their shoes, he also helped with the search. The children were later found with their grandparents.
• Lifesaving award — Conway McCutchen, Buffalo.
On Aug. 25, 2007, Conway and Tammy McCutcheon were outside their home which overlooks the Mississippi River, when Conway witnessed a woman floating down the river. He called out to the person and asked if she was OK. She replied she was fine, but Conway stated she appeared to be struggling in the water. The McCutcheon’s called 911 before Conway fastened his life vest and entered the water.
Conway swam about 100 yards against the current with the river at flood stage, and the water was moving fast due to many recent rains. As he got closer to her, she started to swim away from him, but he was able to grab her, put his life vest on her and pull her to shore. She had been floating down the river for over five miles and was extremely tired.
Tammy McCutcheon stayed with her until EMS arrived. She was transported and kept for observation and treatment.
• Meritorious Award —Christy Gronseth, Boone; Dennis Henry, Boone.
On April 9, 2007, Jeff and Stacy Craven, and their two small children, Benjamin and Jacob, were asleep in their home. Their neighbor, Dennis Henry, was on his way home from work at about 12:30 a.m. when he noticed flames shooting from the roof of the Craven’s home. Henry was able to alert the family by pounding on the door and calling 911 to notify the fire department.
The fire department arrived at the house within three minutes. By the time they arrived, the entire roof was engulfed and had already collapsed. The house was destroyed.
It was a cold night and Henry provided the family with coats and blankets to stay warm. Another neighbor, Christy Gronseth, immediately took the children to her home to comfort and shelter them from witnessing this tragedy.
• Livesaving with Valor — Grant Krentz, Sioux City; Shawn Milbrodt, Akron.
On July 20, 2007, Jason Bumsted, 19, was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle where both cars caught fire. Grant Krentz, 21, and Shawn Milbrodt, 18, drove upon the accident shortly thereafter.
Krentz attempted to call 911 from his cell phone but could not get a signal. He ran to a nearby farmhouse and was able to contact authorities. Milbrodt ran to the cars but was not able to get close to the Blazer because it was fully engulfed. He went to Bumsted’s car and attempted to unlatch his seatbelt. Soon Krentz returned from the farmhouse and both men had to break the steering wheel, gear shift and seatbelt to remove Bumsted, who was unconscious.
Krentz and Milbrodt carried Bumsted to a nearby ditch. The ditch then caught on fire and required them to move further away. When the first officer arrived, Krentz grabbed the fire extinguisher from the patrol car and used it to keep the fire from reaching them.
After paramedics arrived, the two men assisted them by lifting Bumsted onto the stretcher and out of the ditch. Bumsted was airlifted to Mercy Hospital in Sioux City where he spent three weeks. He continued to recover at home and is now undergoing physical therapy.
• Meritorious Award — Joe Husack, Cambridge.
On the morning of Dec. 14, 2007, Joe Husack had been out hunting. At about 10:30 a.m., Husack was driving through the Polk City Cemetery when he noticed a vehicle had slid off the icy road. The driver, 89-year-old Dorothy Barton, had been stuck for approximately one and a half hours. Barton had her window rolled down in an attempt to yell for help. Husack approached the vehicle to see what kind of help she needed and all she could say was, “Help, I need oxygen.” Barton said she was cold and having trouble breathing. Husack called 911 and Polk City Fire & Rescue was dispatched. Upon their arrival, Barton was in severe respiratory distress. She was transported and hospitalized for approximately one week.
• Gene B. Russell — Ames
• Lifesaving — Gene B. Russell, Ames; Richard “Joe” Weifenbach, Des Moines; Paul Timm, Madrid.
On Nov. 19, 2007, David Sesker, who works at a True Value Store, collapsed in the parking lot from a sudden cardiac arrest. Joe Weifenbach happened to see Sesker collapse and immediately went to his aid. He called 911 and summoned other bystanders to assist. He put the emergency operator on speaker phone to enable two other men to initiate CPR correctly and efficiently.
One of the bystanders, Gene Russell, ran into the store requesting assistance with CPR. He then checked for a pulse and breathing, but there was none. Russell said the intensity of the situation caused him to forget the sequence of CPR, and then he listened to the instructions from the 911 EMT over the speaker phone. At that moment, Paul Timm, who heard Russell yell for help, dropped to his knees and was ready to do chest compressions. They continued CPR until EMT arrived and was able to take over.
• Lifesaving — Danielle Seymour, Tama.
On Dec. 8, 2007, the Cheryl Fleener-Seymour family was enjoying an evening at the Meskwaki Casino Hotel with friends. Cheryl and her five children went to the hotel swimming pool late in the afternoon. The children’s ages range from 3 to 7. They met her friend, Paula, who brought her four children and a 3-year-old niece. Cheryl and Paula kept the four youngest children, ages 3 and under, on a deck near them.
They monitored the 10 children as more children continued to fill the pool. Later, Cheryl noticed a child splashing around the deep end and realized the child was in trouble. She quickly located her five children and Paula’s children. She did not locate Paula’s 3-year-old niece, Laura. As Cheryl and Paula ran to the deep end of the pool, they could see Laura going under water again. Cheryl screamed at her 7 year-old daughter, Danielle, to save Laura.
Danielle dove under water and grabbed Laura. Laura tried to fight Danielle and told her, “Quit splashing, I got you!” She pulled Laura up out of the water and took her to safety. Water gushed out of Laura’s mouth, but CPR was not needed due to Danielle’s quick ability to rescue her.
• Lifesaving with Valor —Darryl Alan Putz, Manchester.
On Dec. 19, 2007, at about 8:25 a.m., Darryl Putz was traveling southbound on Highway 13 just past Ryan. He came upon a semi tractor/trailer blocking the roadway at the Intersection of Highway 13 and County Road D-47. At this time, there was very dense fog with only a few feet visibility.
As Putz turned onto D-47, he saw an explosion in his rearview mirror and heard a loud crash. Putz immediately got out of his truck, called 911 and began looking for any survivors. Putz walked up behind the semi tractor that had caught on fire and called out to see if anyone was inside.
Harold Minor Jr., who was in the burning semi tractor, yelled back and said he needed help. Putz climbed up into the burning cab and was able to protect Minor from any further burns by covering his legs with a blanket. Putz then unbuckled Minor and pulled him out of the burning cab. Putz suffered some minor burns. He was able to pull Minor to safety and cover him up until the ambulance service arrived to render aid.
A firefighter from Ryan arrived on the scene with a water truck and asked Putz to man a hose while he operated the pump. Putz did not hesitate at this request.
• Lifesaving Award — Brett Riebesell, Lawton.
On June 6, 2007, Jerry Kasner was hauling a semi load of rock when he fell asleep and lost control. The semi rolled down an embankment and came to rest on its top. Kasner found himself suspended upside down and hanging backwards. He was able to free himself from the seatbelt but was unable to get out of the cab. He was trapped for approximately one hour. Kasner could hear the cars above.
Brett Riebesell was passing by when he noticed Kasner’s semi on its top. Brett helped free Kasner from the cab and made sure he did not move. According to Kasner and other witnesses, fuel was leaking from the truck. Riebesell called 911 on his cell phone and waited for help to arrive. Kasner was taken to the hospital and it was discovered he had sustained a broken neck and ribs.
• Lifesaving with Valor — Robert J. Bierer, Anamosa.
On May 23, 2008, at about 7:20 p.m., Philip Horak was driving his car on a gravel road in Jones County when he lost control and went down an embankment. The vehicle landed on its top in about five feet of cold water causing it to be almost completely submerged. The current was strong due to recent flooding. Holly Winders was the front seat passenger and there were four small children in the back seat. Philip Horak was able to grab his 2 year-old daughter, Mariah, and bring her to shore.
Bob Bierer came around the curve and noticed the car in the water. Bierer called his wife and she contacted the sheriff’s office. He jumped into the water and entered the car, pulled out 4-year-old, Treighton McGlothlin, and took him to shore. He went back into the cold water and rescued 4-year-old Pierce Horak. Bierer thought he had gotten all of the children, but Winders told him that a 2 year-old was still in the car. He made three or four more attempts to locate the last child. Deputy Brian Eckhardt arrived and jumped into the water. After several attempts, he could not locate the little girl and then they heard her underwater cry. Eckhardt located the last child, Tatum McGlothlin and brought her to shore. She spit up some water, but was ok. Bierer stayed in the water until the last child was saved. All four children were rescued without incident.
• Meritorious Award — George Woodward, Lowden.
A fire started around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at Mt. Vernon’s Scorz Bar and Grill. Fourteen fire departments assisted. George Woodward of Alliant Energy was one of the first on scene. He quickly assisted by disabling the power.
Chase Conway and Keith Ziegenhorn, who shared one of the apartments on the second floor, were trapped in their room. Woodward noticed them leaning out of the window so they could breathe. Immediately he used his bucket truck to rescue Conway and Ziegenhorn. One of the firefighters became trapped while searching for other residents. Woodward was also able to rescue him by again using the bucket truck. One of the residents was treated and released for smoke inhalation.
• Meritorious Award — Trent Toomey, Runnells.
On the morning of May 6, 2008, Trent Toomey and his family were traveling to Iowa City when they came upon a crash involving two semis and two other vehicles. Toomey approached the mangled semi and saw the steering wheel pressed against Vlado Tomov’s chest. Tomov was unconscious and trapped in his burning rig.
Toomey climbed into the truck and attempted to free Tomov’s shoulders. A short time later, Colfax Fire Capt. J.D. Smith and Lt. Eric Harmison joined in the effort to feverishly free his trapped legs. Everyone kept their cool and one of the medics used a knife to cut the foam from around the driverís seat. Tomovis was pulled out of the semi and carried to safety. Moments later, the truck became completely engulfed in flames. Tomovis was taken to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines where he was listed in fair condition the following day.
• Outstanding Award — Cara Johnson, Fairfield.
On March 29, 2008, at about 1:30 a.m., Noah and Steffinie Kindle and their 12 year-old daughter, Cara Johnson, were asleep in their two story home in Fairfield. Cara woke up because she was cold and smelled smoke. When she turned over, Cara noticed her parent’s door across the hallway was on fire. She ran downstairs and called 911.
Cara calmly told dispatcher the house was on fire and her parents were still sleeping. Cara ran to the bottom of the stairs and yelled at her parents to wake up. Kindle heard Cara yelling and woke Mrs. Kindle. Kindle placed blankets on the fire. They proceeded downstairs and all went outside.
The fire department attempted to save the house, but it was a total loss. Later it was discovered the fire started from an electrical malfunction in the hallway around her parent’s doorway.
• Meritorious Award — Adriana Boettcher, Mount Vernon.
On Nov. 23, 2007, Adriana Boettcher was delivering papers early in the morning when she discovered an elderly man, Sheldon Shapiro, calling for help from inside his residence. He had fallen and was unable to get up. Shapiro was unsure of how long he had been lying on the floor. Boettcher called the police for help. Shapiro was very appreciative of her assistance.
On Dec. 8, Boettcher was delivering newspapers again in frigid temperatures early in the morning. This particular morning she came across an elderly lady, Iolene Clark, laying face down in the snow. Clark was not dressed for the conditions. Boettcher attempted to help her get up, but could not. She called 911 to notify authorities and stayed with Clark until help arrived.
