Governor’s Public Safety Awards Recognize DNR Rangers
Former Georgia Governor Zell Miller established the Governor’s Public Safety Awards Program (GPSA) in 1998 to recognize the outstanding service of those who dedicate their lives to keeping the public safe both near Lake Allatoona and across the state.
“While we have appropriately honored those who have fallen,” Governor Miller once said, “I would like to establish an organization that would also honor those who by virtue of their personal integrity and determination make public safety the respectable and necessary profession it is.”
Governor Nathan Deal shares that commitment to the GPSA program.
Four conservation rangers with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division recently were recognized at the 2013 Governor’s Public Safety Awards ceremony.
All the awards presented during the ceremony were dedicated to the men and women of the Georgia public safety community in recognition for their acts of heroism, outstanding deeds and exemplary performance. They honor their profession while they keep Georgians safe.
Director of the Law Enforcement Division Col. Eddie Henderson said, “It is an honor and a privilege to serve with these conservation rangers. We know that they do great work all the time, and it is especially wonderful when their dedication is recognized by others.”
Award Recipients
- RFC David Brady and Sgt. Chris Hodge: These two rangers were instrumental in the saving of a boating incident victim on Manhead Sound near St. Simons Island in June 2013. Their hands-on help with pulling a person from underneath a stranded vessel before high tide came in and as shock set in on the victim was truly critical to his survival.
- Sgt. Mark Carson: An urgent call regarding a potential suicide jumper on the Sidney Lanier Bridge in Brunswick created a partnership between Sgt. Carson and a Brunswick police officer. Both men engaged the distressed person in conversation, and when timing was just right, were able to grab potential victim from the bridge barrier and pull him to safety.
- Cpl. Michael Crawley: Responding to a situation with four lost hunters on the Ogeechee River, Cpl. Crawley was able to locate the hunters. They were in waist deep water approximately a mile from the river bank. One of the hunters panicked when he was instructed to swim and Crawley had to dive in to rescue him. Upon finally getting all four victims to land, the ranger helped to build a fire to warm them until extraction from the area could be done in the morning.