CaptnKirk
01-30-2007, 03:19 AM
NASHWAUK — It wasn’t being honored for their heroic efforts that brought tears to the eyes of those individuals who played a vital role in saving a man’s life.
Instead, it was having Albert A. Fuller of St. Paul, stand before them and express his gratitude.
“I am a very lucky man,” Fuller said during the Itasca County Board meeting this week, where three individuals were being honored for their role in saving his life. “If it wasn’t for these people I would not be alive.”
Fuller was referring to Dennis Elj, Ivy Burggraf and Mark Marinaro, who were presented with lifesaving awards from the Minnesota Sheriffs Association by the Itasca County Sheriff’s Department.
Itasca County Sheriff Pat Medure commended the actions the trio took on July 15, 2006.
“On lakes sometimes people don’t want to get involved in certain situations,” said Medure. “In this particular case, they saw something in the water and drove over by boat and saw it was a person in the water. They chose to get involved and no doubt saved this individual’s life. If they didn’t go over and see him, this individual wouldn’t have made it.”
Last summer, Marinaro, along with Burggraf and Elj, of Nashwauk were on Buck Lake, north of Nashwauk, with a group of people when they noticed an unoccupied personal watercraft in the water. The threesome took a speedboat toward the watercraft to check out the situation.
That’s when they saw Fuller face down in the water. He was described as having blue lips and blue feet and was not breathing. They pulled Fuller, who was wearing a lifejacket, out of the water and called 9-1-1.
Marinaro, a first responder and a firefighter, and Burggraf, a nurse, used their training to perform CPR on Fuller, while Elj drove the boat toward shore.
Members of the Buck Lake First Responders and the Nashwauk Ambulance Service met them at shore. Itasca County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the call.
Fuller was transported by the Nashwauk Ambulance and the Hibbing Ambulance to Fairview University Medical Center — Mesabi, and then he was airlifted to St. Luke’s in Duluth where he was treated for neck injuries.
Fuller suffered serious injuries including a broken neck as a result of the accident, stated Medure.
“The three did such a great job in immobilizing him and keeping him stable,” said Medure. “With a broken neck you can end up paralyzed and from what I understand he is making a full recovery.”
The trio were humbled by being honored with the lifesaving awards.
“Basically I just did what I was capable of doing,” said Elj. “Part of living in our culture is helping people who are in trouble. You do what you can in a situation like that and just hope for the best.”
Elj and Burggraf agreed that it was due to all the people working together, including members of the Buck Lake First Responders and the Nashwauk Ambulance Service, that helped save Fuller’s life.
“He had a lot of people at the right place at the right time that did such a wonderful job,” said Burggraf. “It was a group effort. Everyone participated and everyone did their job. It wasn’t his time to go — that’s the bottom line.”
Being a first responder and a firefighter, Marinaro said his efforts were typical of daily duties in those roles.
“I have been with the fire service and EMS for about 25 years,” he said. “It was more instinct than anything. I was glad to be at the right place at the right time for him.”
Medure said their heroic actions aren’t something he comes across every day in Itasca County.
“We want recognize these individuals for the work that they did, and for stepping in and being willing to get involved,” he said.
Hibbing Daily Tribune (http://www.hibbingmn.com/dailytribune/index.php?sect_rank=1&story_id=210508)
Instead, it was having Albert A. Fuller of St. Paul, stand before them and express his gratitude.
“I am a very lucky man,” Fuller said during the Itasca County Board meeting this week, where three individuals were being honored for their role in saving his life. “If it wasn’t for these people I would not be alive.”
Fuller was referring to Dennis Elj, Ivy Burggraf and Mark Marinaro, who were presented with lifesaving awards from the Minnesota Sheriffs Association by the Itasca County Sheriff’s Department.
Itasca County Sheriff Pat Medure commended the actions the trio took on July 15, 2006.
“On lakes sometimes people don’t want to get involved in certain situations,” said Medure. “In this particular case, they saw something in the water and drove over by boat and saw it was a person in the water. They chose to get involved and no doubt saved this individual’s life. If they didn’t go over and see him, this individual wouldn’t have made it.”
Last summer, Marinaro, along with Burggraf and Elj, of Nashwauk were on Buck Lake, north of Nashwauk, with a group of people when they noticed an unoccupied personal watercraft in the water. The threesome took a speedboat toward the watercraft to check out the situation.
That’s when they saw Fuller face down in the water. He was described as having blue lips and blue feet and was not breathing. They pulled Fuller, who was wearing a lifejacket, out of the water and called 9-1-1.
Marinaro, a first responder and a firefighter, and Burggraf, a nurse, used their training to perform CPR on Fuller, while Elj drove the boat toward shore.
Members of the Buck Lake First Responders and the Nashwauk Ambulance Service met them at shore. Itasca County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the call.
Fuller was transported by the Nashwauk Ambulance and the Hibbing Ambulance to Fairview University Medical Center — Mesabi, and then he was airlifted to St. Luke’s in Duluth where he was treated for neck injuries.
Fuller suffered serious injuries including a broken neck as a result of the accident, stated Medure.
“The three did such a great job in immobilizing him and keeping him stable,” said Medure. “With a broken neck you can end up paralyzed and from what I understand he is making a full recovery.”
The trio were humbled by being honored with the lifesaving awards.
“Basically I just did what I was capable of doing,” said Elj. “Part of living in our culture is helping people who are in trouble. You do what you can in a situation like that and just hope for the best.”
Elj and Burggraf agreed that it was due to all the people working together, including members of the Buck Lake First Responders and the Nashwauk Ambulance Service, that helped save Fuller’s life.
“He had a lot of people at the right place at the right time that did such a wonderful job,” said Burggraf. “It was a group effort. Everyone participated and everyone did their job. It wasn’t his time to go — that’s the bottom line.”
Being a first responder and a firefighter, Marinaro said his efforts were typical of daily duties in those roles.
“I have been with the fire service and EMS for about 25 years,” he said. “It was more instinct than anything. I was glad to be at the right place at the right time for him.”
Medure said their heroic actions aren’t something he comes across every day in Itasca County.
“We want recognize these individuals for the work that they did, and for stepping in and being willing to get involved,” he said.
Hibbing Daily Tribune (http://www.hibbingmn.com/dailytribune/index.php?sect_rank=1&story_id=210508)