North Dakota Peace Officers Association Lifesaving Award
North Dakota game wardens have shared many stories in Behind the Badge, providing readers insight into the daily lives of wildlife enforcements officers in our great state. Many of these narratives were humorous, while some educational. This story is neither. It is written with extreme thanks and sincere recognition for the actions of two wardens.
On May 16, I was fortunate and proud to present district game warden Jerad Bluem (third from left) and game warden pilot Jeff Sieger (second from left) with the North Dakota Peace Officers Association Lifesaving Award. The Lifesaving Award is given to a law enforcement officer who by his/her actions significantly contributes to saving a human’s life.
On September 5, 2021, Bluem and Sieger responded to an emergency call on the Missouri River near Bismarck. An individual had slipped and fallen on a pontoon boat that was stuck on a sandbar. The individual caught his leg on a cleat on the boat, causing a significant laceration in his thigh, severing the major femoral vein.
Bluem and Sieger were quick to respond by patrol boat and used their medical training and equipment to evaluate the patient and effectively use a tourniquet and hand pressure to control the heavy bleeding. The wardens then transferred the patient to their patrol boat and transported him to the nearest boat ramp, where an ambulance was waiting. Without the quick, professional response, this story most likely would have ended in a different, terribly sad way.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department wardens are some of the most professional law enforcement officers that I have been around in my 19-year career, and I am extremely proud of their service to the citizens and wildlife of North Dakota.
The Game and Fish Department enforcement division recently completed their annual in-service training, which included training on tactical first aid, vehicle operations, defensive tactics, and low light firearms use. Game wardens often attend training to ensure they are prepared for emergency situations such as the one previously described.
- Chief Game Warden Scott Winkelman