Wayne Allen | Daily Times
Wyatt Bazler is pictured receiving a certificate of appreciation from ODNR representative Martin McAllister.
Wayne Allen
PDT Staff Writer
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Parks and Recreation recently honored Wyatt and Paul Bazler for their efforts in saving someone from a near drowning in Roosevelt Lake.
A small recognition ceremony was held on Sunday with ODNR officials to officially recognize their efforts.
In a letter from Glen Cobb Chief of the Division of Parks and Recreation for ODNR, Martin McAllister and ODNR official read, “We would like to express our appreciation to each of you, for your quick response to a swimmer in distress at Shawnee State Park on July 1, 2011.”
Cobb goes on to relay his understanding of what took place that day.
“I understand that three young men had attempted to swim across a section of Roosevelt Lake towards an area of rocks. One of the men became distressed during the crossing and was unable to reach the rocks and encountered difficulty when he attempted to return to shore. After hearing the shouts for help, Paul alerted Wyatt, who was kayaking on the lake and Paul immediately jumped in the water and swam to the victim,” McAllister read. “When Wyatt saw Paul begin to swim to the victim he began to paddle the kayak to their location. The young man was struggling to stay afloat and had to be pulled from beneath the water. As the victim was pulled to the surface, Paul and the victim grabbed the kayak and Wyatt towed them both safely to shore. Your (Wyatt) quick response was vital in preventing a near fatal tragedy. We are extremely grateful for your actions.”
McAllister said due to the change over in staff, the message of the incident, “was not well communicated through the shift in staff members. That all caught up to us in the last few weeks and we wanted to make sure we followed through on recognition of their efforts.”
Both Wyatt and Paul Bazler expressed gratitude for the recognition. Wyatt said, “it’s great to be appreciated.”
They were presented with a certificate of appreciation, the letter from Cobb and a certificate to stay in Shawnee State Park.
Wayne Allen may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 228, or tallen@civitasmedia.com. For breaking news, follow Wayne on Twitter @WayneallenPDT.
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