Sr. Biologist Supervisor/Marine Fisheries

Department of Fish and Wildlife

3/9/1995

Special Act Award (Gold)

On March 9, 1995, Phil Pridmore, Wildlife Habitat Supervisor II, and Ken Aasen, Sr. Biologist Supervisor/Marine Fisheries, performed an extraordinary act of heroism at great risk to their personal safety in the rescue of a woman who was stranded for over four hours in the devastating 1995 floods of the Napa River. She clung to a post in a submerged vineyard after her car sank in the river. The morning of March 9, 1995, the Napa River had flooded its banks, quickly engulfing roads and bridges in the area. Mr. Aasen and Mr. Pridmore started out in their dinghy to back up two Department wardens who were attempting to rescue a woman from a submerged vineyard. They saw the wardens' boat being swept into the vines, where it became immobilized, so they decided to follow the current down to a tree line where they hoped to work their way up to the woman. Their small dinghy was quickly slammed into a tree and sank in less than five seconds. By standing on submerged tree branches they managed to retrieve the boat, dump out the water, removed the motor and fuel tank and try again. Working together, they struggled to reach the woman by pulling the boat along vineyard guide wires. When he could touch ground and keep his head above water, Mr. Pridmore would slip over the side and pull the boat against the current while Ken pulled along the guide wires. When the current became too swift, Mr. Aasen maneuvered the boat across the vines and wires, while Mr. Pridmore continued in the water until he reached an area 50 yards from the woman, where the strong current had pulled out the vines and guide wires. He couldn't swim against the current, so he talked her into letting go of the post and caught her as she floated by. Mr. Aasen managed to maneuver the boat to the same row Mr. Pridmore and the woman were floating down. They got aboard and started across the current to a waiting ambulance, but their oarlock broke and they were swept away by the fast current. The wardens had freed their boat by this time and were able to make their way to their dinghy and tow it back.