Park rangers nominated for lifesaving awards after rescuing 11 people on Lake Pueblo
Two park rangers battled extreme winds and waves to save 11 people on Lake Pueblo when their boat capsized on May 29. While two people tragically drowned during the incident — husband and wife Joshua and Jessica Prindle — the situation, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, could have been much worse.
CPW ranger Joe Portteus and seasonal ranger Seth Herndon were at the south shore marina around 7 p.m. that day when they received a call that a boat had capsized and people were in the water.
Most of the other rangers had already ended their shifts for the day, Portteus said, but he and Herndon had stayed at the marina in case such an emergency arose.
The pair battled rough conditions on the way out, he said, and at several points, their patrol boat "caught air" as it moved quickly over choppy waves.
When the patrol boat got in the vicinity of the scene, they spotted people clinging to the boat, and some scattered around in the water nearby. Just the tip of the boat was sticking up out of the water, Portteus said.
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"We were certainly surprised at the number of people in the water, based on the description of the boat," Portteus said. "We thought it may be three, or maybe four people — it was a lot more than that."
The small boat, built to carry seven people, was carrying 13 when it capsized. The rangers started picking up people as quickly as they could.
The children were wearing life jackets, making it easier for Herndon to pull them out of the water and into the boat, he said. The adults, however, were not, and were clinging to whatever they could.
"We just decided to start at one end and pick up as many people as we can, we had to make some tough decisions — do we pick up adults or children first? (There was) a bit of triage about who was in what condition," Portteus said.
The pair were concerned about those in the water either drowning or contracting hypothermia due to exposure to the 60-degree water the night of the incident.
Between the time the rangers received the call and the time they got back to the ramp, a total of about 40 minutes elapsed, during which time "hypothermia can really take its toll," they said.
The two attempted to radio for backup, but due to wind and water splashing on the microphone, their calls were inaudible and they couldn’t hear replies from CPW staff on shore.
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"We did hear that another boat was being launched, but we knew they were maybe 10-15 minutes behind us, so we knew for a window of time we were going to be on our own," Portteus said.
However, the two rangers received unexpected help from a civilian, Nikolas Fedorczuk, who was coming back to the marina when he saw red and blue lights from shore patrol and moved to assist.
"He got the 11th person on board his boat, which allowed us to get the kids to the paramedics as quickly as possible," Herndon said. "Without his help, we could have potentially lost one of those children, so a good Samaritan for sure."
Lake Pueblo Park Manager Joe Stadterman said he is "convinced the death toll would have been far higher without the courageous response" of the two rangers.
“They ignored the danger to themselves posed by the extreme weather and didn’t quit until they had every living soul safely aboard," Stadterman said in a CPW statement. "Then they delivered them to emergency personnel waiting on shore. They are true heroes.”
In recognition of their heroic actions, the pair have been nominated for CPW life-saving awards.
Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at Jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado park rangers nominated for lifesaving awards in water rescue
