When Capt. Joshua Burrows spotted an overturned boat in the Columbia River near Umatilla, Ore., his emergency training kicked in. It was the first time he had to apply the know-how in a deadly situation.
Burrows and crewmates Riley Wyatt, Billy Pike, Harry Pike and Ken Marvel of Tidewater Barge Lines’ Ryan Point tugboat saved two people stranded in the middle of Columbia River on Sept. 11.
The couple were exhausted and hypothermic after treading water for three hours. The crew spotted them stranded near their capsized boat in the middle of the frigid river and pulled them from the water just before night fell, saving their lives.
“I’m very proud of my crew and the way they came together and used their training, and I’m glad the situation turned out the way it did,” said Burrows, of Camas.
American Red Cross Cascade Region honored Burrows and his crew during the 22nd annual Heroes Breakfast, which recognizes everyday people from Southwest Washington and Oregon for their good deeds.
The breakfast featured Red Cross members, Vancouver business leaders and the heroes themselves. This year’s recipients included the Tidewater crew, an Albany, Ore., small business owner who has provided CPR training to his employees for two decades and three Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies whose quick response to a shopping center saved an unresponsive baby’s life.
The event also serves to highlight the work of the Red Cross. The Cascades Region segment of the nonprofit is aided by more than 3,000 volunteers who respond to disasters big and small.
Red Cross Southwest Washington Board Member Mary Jane Rose of Ridgefield said the volunteers respond to an average of two house fires in the area every day.
“We need volunteers here at home as well as people willing to be deployed,” Rose said.
Nationally, it was a busy year for Red Cross. Wildfires, floods and winter storms required at least one shelter to be open for 324 consecutive days, sheltering 43,000 people with the help of 11,500 volunteers. The Cascades Region Red Cross deployed responders 257 times to more than 40 disasters locally and nationwide.
The rescuers awarded at the annual event aren’t Red Cross members, but they represent its mission: preventing and alleviating human suffering.
River rescue
For three hours on a September evening, the two people without life vests clung to the side of their capsized boat in Columbia River. High winds and 3-foot swells blocked their cries and calls for help as sunset drew nearer.
Burrows and his crew were on a routine trip, headed to Vancouver, when they spotted the couple. They sounded an alarm and quickly steered their vessel toward the man and woman.
The on-deck crew radioed instructions to Burrows and Wyatt, who were about 50 feet above deck in the wheelhouse so that they could maneuver the boat toward the stranded pair. Once they were close enough, the crew threw out a life ring.
“When I looked in (the woman’s) eyes, she was in full panic,” crewmember Marvel recalled in a video played for attendees. “She was in bad shape. I don’t think she would have lasted another hour.”
The crew helped pull the couple on board the tugboat and got them into dry clothing. The couple were suffering from hypothermia and dehydration.
“We practice our entire career (for a situation like this) and hope that we never have to use it,” said Burrows, who has spent nearly three decades on the Columbia.
The captain downplayed his life-saving actions and thanked his crew but said he was honored to be recognized.
