Conservation Officers Recognized for Lifesaving Actions
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers Mike Evink and Ben Shively, center, receive the department’s Lifesaving Award on July 13 for their respective actions that enabled two victims to survive serious accidents in the Upper Peninsula and Oceana County earlier this year. Presenting the awards are DNR Law Enforcement Division Chief Gary Hagler, far right, and Assistant Chief Dean Molnar, far left.
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Contact: Lt. Skip Hagy (Upper Peninsula), 906-293-5131 or Sgt. Mark Bomay (Lower Peninsula), 231-775-9727
DNR Conservation Officers Mike Evink, Ben Shively cited for lifesaving actions
Victims of U.P., Oceana County accidents survive thanks to officers’ quick reactions
Two Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers were recognized Thursday for saving the lives of accident victims in the Upper Peninsula and Oceana County earlier this year.
Conservation Officers Mike Evink and Ben Shively received the DNR’s Lifesaving Award for their respective actions in the separate incidents. The awards were presented during the regular meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in Lansing.
“Conservation Officers Evink and Shively are perfect examples of the type of law enforcement professionals we train our officers to be,” said Gary Hagler, DNR Law Enforcement Division chief, who presented the awards. “Because of their rigorous training and professional demeanors, both officers immediately responded to their respective situations and were able to save lives. The DNR is proud to have Mike Evink and Ben Shively in its ranks.”
In January, Evink’s training was put to the test when he was dispatched to a home in the Upper Peninsula’s Schoolcraft County. A propane deliveryman found Inwood Township homeowner Ronald Haug on the garage floor, unresponsive after being overwhelmed by carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless, toxic gas. After attempting CPR, the deliveryman made an emergency phone call before being overcome by the gas as well.
Evink, who was 15 miles away when the call came in, went to the home, maneuvering his four-wheel-drive patrol vehicle through nearly 6 miles of unplowed roads. Both the homeowner and deliveryman were unresponsive when Evink arrived. Evink found Haug had no pulse and that the deliveryman was barely alive.
Evink opened the garage door to provide the victim with fresh air and continued performing lifesaving measures. An ambulance arrived about 15 minutes later and transported the deliveryman to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital in Manistique, where he recovered. Unfortunately, Haug did not survive. Read more