Colorado Parks and Wildlife ranger Jeffrey Hammond didn’t hesitate to jump in the freezing cold Arkansas River to save a woman injured when her car ended up in the water off of U.S. Highway 50 in Bighorn Canyon in January 2023.

Donning his swift-water rescue suit, Hammond swam across the river and extricated the driver, who was suffering from head trauma and hypothermia. After putting a life jacket on her, Hammond secured her to the rescue rope system other first responders had set up. The victim was safely brought to shore and transported to a local hospital.

A passenger was thrown from the vehicle into the river during the accident but was able to self-rescue.

For his actions, Hammond received the Park Law Enforcement Association’s Life Saving Award.

“Hammond was quick to respond, decisive in his actions, calm and convincing when needed, and went above and beyond the call of duty to help a woman trapped inside a vehicle in a frigid river environment. The steps taken by Hammond deserve to be recognized and his actions helped save the life of the driver,” Carl Nielsen, executive director of PLEA was quoted as saying in a press release from CPW.

The Park Law Enforcement Association, founded in 1979, is dedicated to improving “law enforcement, visitor protection and park operation services through professional development.”

Six other CPW rangers were also honored by the association at its annual convention in Port Charlotte, Florida.

Rangers Ashlee Wallace and Howard Asal, both rangers at Highline Lake State Park near Loma, responded to smoke reports about a mile south of the park September 9. The fire was moving quickly through dry grass towards a private residence. Asal sped to the house to notify residents and then began fire suppression efforts with the help of a passerby. Wallace arrived and helped spray water from a garden hose to wet down buildings and used buckets of water to cool propane tanks for about 15 minutes until local firefighters arrived.

Wallace and Asal were awarded the PLEA Valor Award.

Rangers Jeff Walters, Justine Buchart, and Courtney Harris, assigned to Harvey Gap State Park, north of Silt, were on a boat patrol on July 24 when they found a woman floating unconscious face-down in the water with no life jacket. The woman and a 4-year-old child with her had fallen off a paddleboard in high winds.

The three rangers pulled the victims into the boat and began life-saving measures on the woman.

Rangers Jed Potter, Dave Norman, and George Voight encountered a woman having a mental crisis at a campground in Paonia State Park, near Somerset on Sept. 5.

The woman became violent during an extended encounter with the rangers, stripped and entered the creek, covering her body with mud. She began showing symptoms of hypothermia and became semi-conscious and unable to care for herself. The woman was taken to the hospital from the remote location after the rangers called for an ambulance.

All three were awarded the PLEA Life Saving Award.