February 13, 2009

Columbus, Ohio - The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Parks and Recreation has recognized the heroic acts of three Ohio State Park employees whose recent actions saved the lives of three park visitors.

Barb Neill, Lake Milton State Park manager; Al Campana, Lake Milton park officer and Mike Grammer, Mosquito Lake State Park assistant manager, each received the Ohio State Parks Meritorious Lifesaving Award on February 10. The awards were presented by Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Sean Logan.

The lifesaving actions took place Sept. 14, 2008. A wind storm that swept across Ohio that day caused unprecedented four to six feet waves at the parks.

At Lake Milton, Officer Campana monitored radio traffic reports of three boaters in the water and immediately struck out on the park's patrol boat. He discovered two boaters clinging to one life preserver. The officer rescued the pair using an extension pole. It was noted that the third man who had no life preserver had gone underwater and not resurfaced.

Officer Campana called Manager Neill. She and her husband responded with their personal boat. Both boats lost electrical power due to the high waves. The team searched but was unable to find the third boater whose body was discovered three days later.

In the second action, Assistant Manager Grammer received a report of a boater in distress in a sinking boat on Mosquito Lake. Grammer took action in the park's patrol boat. With a local police officer's assistance, Grammer located the boater, positioned the patrol craft into the heavy waves and completed the rescue.

"The actions of these employees were above and beyond the call of duty and all of them showed great courage," said Director Logan. "The three rescued boaters owe their lives to the dedication of these brave state park employees."