3 officers honored for life saving initiatives
Moses Lake Police Chief Dave Ruffin congratulates Officer Matt Fulbright, who was named the 2013 "Officer of the Year."
EPHRATA - Three Grant County law enforcement officers were recently recognized for their efforts at reducing traffic injuries and deaths and will be among others honored at an April 26 ceremony in Lacey.
Grant County Sheriff's Sgt. Josh Sainsbury and Washington State Patrol Trooper Ryan Raymond were chosen by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to receive Target Zero Award for Achievements in Traffic Safety. They are lauded for their efforts at combating casualties due to young drivers and impaired driving.
The third officer to be recognized, Grant County Sheriff's Deputy Tyson "T-Vo" Voss, was honored by the state Dept. of Health for efforts which ultimately saved the lives of two children.
Between July 2010 and February 2011, six youths died in Grant County due to excessive speed or impaired driver-involved collisions. Sgt. Sainsbury and Trooper Raymond made it their mission to educate youths in order to reduce youth casualties.
They acquired two vehicles which were involved in the Grant County crashes. They went to every high school and gave a presentation on the risks of driving impaired and then had the youths go outside to view the damaged cars.
From 2011, when they started delivering the presentations, until 2013, Sainsbury's and Raymond's presentation has been attended by more than 5,700 students county wide.
Since Sainsbury and Raymond began the presentations, from March 2011-June 2013, there have been zero young driver-involved (ages 16-17) fatality crashes in Grant County and only one young driver-involved (ages 16-17) serious injury crash.
Prior to the presentations beginning, from June 2008-February 2011, there were five fatality crashes and seven serious injury crashes involving young drivers ages 16-17.
On August 27, Deputy Voss pulled over a female motorist who failed to completely stop at a stop sign near Interstate 90 and the George exit. He spotted two small children in the back seat who were not correctly seat belted.
Voss made the motorist correctly restrain her children in their car seats before allowing her to drive away. Within a few minutes and within a few miles, the motorist fell asleep at the wheel.
The car careened off the road, hit a light pole, vaulted over the intersecting road and ended up on its side after sliding down the opposite embankment. Had the little children not been properly restrained, they would be either dead or severely injured.
"The presentations given by Sgt. Sainsbury and Trooper Raymond to teenagers across Grant County and the Child Car Seat Project that Deputy Voss participated in are both excellent examples of just how important education is when dealing with our youths," Said Erika Simmons, Central Basin Traffic Safety Task Force Target Zero Manager/Coordinator.