U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Coeur d'Alene BLM
Coeur d'Alene BLM
| Contacts: | Suzanne Endsley (208-769-5004) |
Secretary Salazar Confers Valor Awards on Three BLM-Idaho Employees
WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today conferred Department of the Interior Valor Awards on three employees who work for the BLM in Idaho. The individuals – Rick Carter, Edward Foley, and Brett Griffith – were recognized for their exemplary competence and heroism in saving the life of a truck driver from drowning in the Salmon River and in averting a series of potential collisions during a June 2011 logging truck accident on Highway I-95 near Riggins, Idaho.
“We are privileged to have such brave, self-sacrificing individuals working for our agency,” said Secretary Salazar. “I commend each one for setting such a sterling example not only for BLM employees, but also for the public at large.”
On June 22, 2011, Brett Griffith and Rick Carter were driving south on Highway I-95 near Riggins, Idaho, when they observed a northbound logging truck swerve towards them from the oncoming lane. Mr. Carter immediately stopped the government vehicle. As the truck side-swiped a rock bluff, overturned, and continued sliding down the highway toward them with the engine in flames, Mr. Carter checked for traffic behind and reversed the vehicle to escape the oncoming truck. The truck crossed in front of the two men, broke through a traffic barrier, and slid into the river cab-side down with the load of timber scattering across the highway. Mr. Griffith and Mr. Carter got out of their vehicle, waving a semi-truck and other vehicles to slow down to prevent a domino of rear-end collisions. Mr. Foley was in a vehicle about a quarter- mile away and ran to the scene to offer assistance. While Mr. Carter and Mr. Foley were attending to the traffic and helping to get emergency assistance, Mr. Griffith quickly slid down the bank to the submerged truck to pull the driver out of the water. Suddenly, the injured and bleeding driver emerged from under the truck. He was gasping for air and trying to keep his head above the cold and dangerously fast-moving water. Mr. Griffith grabbed the driver and pulled him safely ashore and then climbed up the bank in order to form a chain with Mr. Foley and other bystanders to lift the driver to the roadway for first aid while awaiting an ambulance.
Salazar presented the Department’s Valor Awards to the three men “for their valiant actions in saving a life of another, averting further accidents, and risking their own personal safety.”
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.