From left, Saratoga County Department of Public Works employees Aaron Colvin, Jeff Gray, Preston Allen Jr. and Robert Crist pose for a photo at the county garage.
BALLSTON SPA — A winter snowmobile ride on a lake turned harrowing for one man, who slipped off his sled into the frigid waters of Great Sacandaga Lake earlier this year.
Fortunately, intuition, teamwork and the quick action of four CSEA members employed at the Saratoga County Department of Public Works (DPW) led to his survival.
Jeff Gray, who was home from his job as a laborer at the Saratoga County DPW, noticed the sled go by heading toward the top of the lake.
Growing up on and around the lake, he knew there wasn’t much ice left. As minutes passed, Gray grew concerned when he didn’t see or hear the snowmobile.
He made his way to the shore to find the man, Ed Fitzgerald, bobbing in the water and a neighbor throwing out a rope. The man was tired and losing consciousness.
“He went under twice,” Gray said.
‘Not all superheroes wear capes:” DPW members honored for saving man’s life
“I knew we needed to do more.”
New York State Police and Saratoga County Sheriff deputies on the scene with the boat used in the rescue. (Photo provided by Jeff Gray)
Co-worker Rob Crist, a motor equipment operator at the Saratoga County DPW who also serves as a volunteer firefighter in Corinth and member of the fire department’s dive team, was nearby when he picked up a pager message calling the dive team to the lake.
Crist and Saratoga County DPW co-workers and CSEA members Preston Allen Jr. and Aaron Colvin rushed to the scene.
Fitzgerald was about 40 feet offshore and the ice was too thin to safely reach him, so the DPW workers had to improvise.
They found a rowboat and carried it through the woods to shore. A two-by-four piece of wood found near the shore became a paddle.
Allen Jr. broke up the ice near the shore with his bare hands to get the boat into the water. He and Crist got in the boat, while Colvin and Gray helped launch the boat.
Fitzgerald, who was showing signs of hypothermia, started swimming away at one point. Crist was able to get a hold of Fitzgerald by leaning over the side of the boat. All were pulled back to shore with a rope.
Fitzgerald was carried through the woods to the road. Emergency medical services workers rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for exposure.
“His body temperature was 92.8 degrees,” Crist said. “I’m just happy I didn’t have to put on that dive suit.”
“I’ve lost quite a few friends on Sacandaga Lake, said Gray. “It wasn’t going to happen that day.”
Since the rescue, the workers have reunited with Fitzgerald several times for lunch. They were also honored
by the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors at the board’s February 25 meeting, where Board of Supervisors Chair Preston Allen, Allen Jr.’s father, spoke of the incident.
“This is neighbor helping neighbor and we owe a debt of gratitude to these four men who don’t want to be called heroes, but they are in our eyes,” Allen said.
The State Senate Liberty Medal the workers received.
State Sen. Jim Tedisco presented the men with the NYS Senate Liberty Medal, the State Senate’s highest honor given to those who have shown tremendous valor and courage or have made an extraordinary difference in the lives of New Yorkers.
“Not all superheroes wear capes,” Tedisco said at an early March ceremony in his Clifton Park office. “Some are dedicated DPW workers and caring neighbors who leaped to action, putting their own personal safety at risk to save the life of another.”
When asked about the honors, the attention and substantial media coverage of the rescue, all agreed with Gray, “A high five and a handshake would have worked for us.”
—Therese Assalian
