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The banquet marked the 10th year of
honoring ESDA volunteers, the fourth year of honoring 911 workers
and the second year of honoring Local Emergency Planning Committee
members.
Citizens who stepped forward to help in
emergencies before rescue workers could get to the scene, and who in
at least one case saved a life, were presented with special awards
by EDSA Director Dan Fulscher.
Early in the year, Matt Wilham, 18, and
Andy Jones, 19, were on their way to Mount Pulaski High School in
separate cars when they spotted an accident at a rural intersection
south of Chestnut. Both realized something serious had happened and
stopped to see if they could help.
In one of the two cars, which had
rolled on its side, brother and sister Dawn and Christopher
Tillquist of Chestnut were trapped and trying to get out. Both were
injured, but Chris was injured so seriously he would not have been
able to get out by himself. Matt and Andy pulled the two out, and
before other help arrived the car burst into flames.
The Tillquist family and the two boys
were guests at the banquet.
[Photos by Jan Youngquist]
[Matt Wilham, Richard Tillquist and Andy Jones]
"I could never repay these two boys for
saving my son's life," Richard Tillquist, father of the teens, said.
"I just hope someone would have done it
for me," was Andy's reply.
Another meeting of a volunteer and the
person he helped also took place at the banquet, but this one was by
telephone.
Glenn Osborn of Hartsburg, a farmer,
decided to go out to a particular field on the morning of April 11.
Something made him look down into a ditch, where he saw a vehicle
that had gone off the road. In it was Fred Heart, with a broken
wrist and five broken ribs. Osborn called 911, and soon Heart had
been cut out of the car and was on his way to a local hospital.
Heart, who is living in Florida, and
Osborn talked on the phone during the banquet. Heart said he had
tried several times to call Osborn and thank him but hadn't been
able to reach him.
"I'm sure glad you were over there that
day," he said. "Whatever reward they give where you are, they should
give to you," he said.
Heart said he was in good shape again
and wished Osborn a beautiful holiday. "I'm glad you can enjoy it,
too," Osborn replied.
The third responders to be honored did
not have such a happy ending to their story. Dan Prater, Joshua Fulk,
Mary Brinkotter and State Trooper Nathan Miller tried to help Jason
Langenbahn of Lincoln. Langenbahn was south of Lincoln on Route 121,
north of the Salt Creek Bridge, when his car rolled; he was ejected
from it and suffered severe internal injuries.
All three of the passersby stopped to
help and continued to give Langenbahn CPR until rescue workers were
on the scene. State Trooper Miller, who was within a couple of miles
of the call, arrived quickly and also assisted with the CPR.
However, Langenbahn's injuries were too severe and he did not live.
"You did everything you could possibly
do," Fulscher told Fulk as he presented the award.
[Dan Fulscher and Joshua Fulk]
Other awards went to members of ESDA
volunteer groups.
Special merits went to three members of
the ESDA Weather Watch Team: Rich Kempf, Gerald Hubrich and Don
Begolka. Member of the year was Larry Keeran. Fulscher also
presented a special award, a bronze eagle, to Rod Palmer, who
retired last year after 44 years and four months with the National
Weather Service. Palmer had been in Lincoln since the opening day of
the weather station here.
The Logan County Underwater Search and
Recovery Team was given special recognition for 25 years of service.
Gary Knauer and Dennis Bailey were recognized as the two senior
members of the team.
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this article] |
Gene Hickey and Lynn Buse were given
special recognition for their work on the Logan County Snowmobile
Team. Fulscher noted that since Channel 20 did a spot on the team,
other counties are starting to form similar teams.
For the fifth year, REACT has been a
division of Logan County ESDA. Special merits went to Devin Vannoy,
Stan Wilhoit and Ed Houchins. Member of the year was Heather Towery.
REACT is a group of amateur radio operators that now assists Logan
County ESDA in providing radio communication in an emergency or a
disaster.
Special merit on the Mounted Horse
Search and Rescue Team went to Marsha Hickey, and members of the
year were Susan Caley and Deborah Wheeler. The members were
activated on two searches and helped patrol at the Railsplitter and
balloon festivals. The team has grown to 26 members since its
formation two years ago.
Fulscher announced the formation of a
new team, the Disaster Intelligence Team, which was developed this
year and has 20 members. The team will staff the Crisis Management
Center in case of an emergency.
The Lincoln Rural Explorers were
recognized for their community work throughout the year. This group
is part of the Boys Scouts of America and also a division of the
Lincoln Rural Fire Protection District. Several members have gone on
to become firefighters at Lincoln Rural, Lincoln City and other fire
departments.
The Local Emergency Planning
Committee's volunteer of the year was Jan Youngquist, Lincoln
Daily News editor, and special merit award went to Lisa Funk.
Special merits also went to the Logan
County Paramedic Association; Lloyd Evans, director of the Logan
County Health Department; and Mike Camp and the AirEvac Life Team, a
group from Springfield that airlifts injured persons in emergencies.
Also, 911 board members and dispatchers
were introduced and recognized, and a plaque was given to the
Lincoln Rural Fire Protection District for 10 years of service as
the 911 backup center.
ESDA Volunteer of the Year awards were
given to Tammy Buse and Devin Vannoy, and the Larry Shroyer Award of
the year went to two people: Roger Leesman of Armington and Doug
Dutz of Lincoln.
Leesman has been with the Armington
Fire Department for 32 years, has been an EMT for 28 years and has
been chief for 22 years. He also served 11 years on the Armington
town board and is a member of LEPC. Dutz, a retired Logan County
Board member, helped with the formation of ESDA as it is today,
supported the creation of the present Crisis Management Center and
the volunteer organizations of ESDA, served on the 911 board, and
has always been a supporter of emergency services. "Doug Dutz is the
first elected politician ever to win this award," Fulscher said.
The Shroyer award is given in honor of
the former Civil Defense director, who helped make the move from
Civil Defense to ESDA and who got local, state and federal funding
to develop the lower level of the safety complex so there would be a
headquarters for emergency services. "He dedicated his whole life to
helping others, and he could see ahead for decades, even centuries,"
Fulscher said.
Master Sgt. Bryon Hasty of the U.S. Air
Force led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance and dedicated the
flag he donated to ESDA. The flag, now in the Crisis Management
Center, was flown over Afghanistan on Oct. 21, 2002, during
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Guest
speaker for the evening, Sheriff Steve Nichols, spoke on the
importance of volunteers and commented that it was good to see so
many young people becoming involved in public service.
[Joan Crabb]
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"The southern storm track becomes more
active, and storm tracks from Colorado and Canada become less active
during El Nino years. The current El Nino has been weakening since
December, and its influence should soon fade," explains Angel.
Effects in Illinois this winter have
been quite dramatic. Chester, 50 miles south of St. Louis, has had
22 inches of snowfall, compared with its 15.6-inch normal winter
average. Moline, in northwestern Illinois, has had only 1.3 inches,
compared with its 35.3-inch normal winter average. With 10-15
inches, central Illinois is fairly close to its 15-inch average
accumulation of winter snowfall
"Low snowfall totals have led to large
areas of bare ground in northern Illinois. Fairly meager snow cover
currently extends from Chicago, Peoria and Springfield to Effingham,
with most stations reporting only 1 or 2 inches. Snow acts as an
insulator, but no snow is reported on the ground north of that line.
Consequently, soil temperatures at some northern Illinois sites have
dropped below freezing at depths of 15 inches or more, wreaking
havoc with water mains," says Angel.
Snowfall also plays a role in the
occurrence of sub-zero temperatures because it reflects sunlight
during the day and radiates heat back into space on clear nights.
Both processes lead to colder air temperatures. A location is about
10 times more likely to drop below zero with some snow on the ground
than without snow.
"About the only way to achieve
temperatures below zero without snow is with strong arctic air
outbreaks, and we've had those too. Temperatures plunged into single
digits below zero across northern and central Illinois, while
southern Illinois remained barely above zero last week," says Angel.
Similar conditions not too long ago
made it even colder in Illinois. Temperatures plummeted from arctic
air on Jan. 5, 1999. Congerville set a new state record of minus 36
degrees compared with temperatures of minus 30 to minus 20 degrees
(most northern Illinois sites), minus 30 to minus 10 degrees
(central Illinois), and minus 15 to zero degrees (southern
Illinois).
"The
National Weather Service is calling for warmer temperatures over the
next week -- much closer to normal -- and also for the month of
February. January is typically our coldest month in Illinois,"
concludes Angel.
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December temperatures and precipitation were near average,
but 2002 was a warm year
"2002 was the
21st warmest year in Illinois since 1900, with 53.2 degree
temperatures (1 degree above average) and annual precipitation of
38.56 inches (99 percent of average)," says Angel. Despite a somewhat warm year, this is no evidence of a
warming trend in Illinois over the last 80 years.
"Even with only 2.25 inches of
precipitation statewide for December (84 percent of average), the
54th driest December since 1900, it was a big improvement over
November, when precipitation was 34 percent of average. December
temperatures averaged 31.9 degrees (2.1 degrees above average), the
44th warmest December since 1900," says Angel.
Perry, the only station with a below
zero temperature, reported minus 1 degree on Dec. 26. Temperatures
warmed quickly at the end of the month, and highs of 65 degrees were
recorded at Quincy, Princeville and Perry on Dec. 30-31, although
Cairo recorded this temperature earlier, on Dec. 18.
"Both northeastern and southern
Illinois both received significant snowfall in the first half of
December -- 2-4 inches and 2-14 inches, respectively -- while
central Illinois had to wait until Dec. 24 for its 2-10 inches.
Heaviest snowfall totals occurred in southern Illinois, and
Lawrenceville reported 15.3 inches in December. However,
northwestern Illinois has had little if any snow in December, and
Moline reported only a trace for the month," says Angel.
"Illinois oscillated between very wet
and very dry periods in 2002," says Angel. April through early June
was the fourth wettest period statewide since 1900, with 15.59
inches (154 percent of average). Mid-June to mid-August, the eighth
driest period statewide since 1900, had only 4.23 inches (56 percent
of average), hitting southern Illinois especially. There was a brief
respite in the second half of August, but dry conditions returned,
this time in the northern half of the state. September to early
December was the 10th driest across the state since 1900, with 6.62
inches (61 percent of average). Northwestern Illinois currently has
the largest precipitation deficits, with less than 50 percent of
average over the past three months. Soil moisture is more than 20
percent below normal down to depths of 6 feet.
"If
precipitation remains near average this winter, it will alleviate
lingering concerns about soil moisture in northern Illinois due to
the dry fall, and moisture levels should be good shape by spring,"
concludes Angel.
[Illinois State Water Survey
press release] |
