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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRecognitionofPublicWorksEmployees�o M71TAS COUNTY February 26, 2019 Mr. Jim Van De Venter 411 North Ruby, Suite 1 Ellensburg, WA 98926 KIT'rTT1A1l9 COLTNW'%r DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Mark R. Cook, PE Director RE: February 9, 2019 Vantage Highway Vehicle Recovery Effort Dear Mr. Van De Venter: This letter acknowledges your outstanding effort recovering stranded vehicles and occupants on Vantage Highway on February 9, 2019. Cooperating with members of the Kittitas County Sheriff s Office, you and three other Public Works employees led a caravan of response vehicles assisting numerous stranded motorists. Your selfless actions during blizzard conditions define who we are in Public Works. Without your efforts, personal injury was likely the outcome for stranded motorists. Your action makes me proud to be a member of Public Works and I greatly appreciate your efforts in this incident. This letter of commendation will remain in your personnel file as acknowledgement of your outstanding performance. Sincerely, Mark R. Cook Director/County Engineer C: Personnel File Board of County Commissioners Attachment: Sheriff Dana Letter dated 02/14/2019 411 N. Ruby St, Suite #1 TEL (509) 962-7523 Ellensburg, WA 98926 FAX (509) 962-7663 GENE DANA, SHERIFF KITTITAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE 307 W. Umptanum Rd • Ellensburg, WA 98926 (509) 962-7525 • (509) 674-2584 FAX (509) 962-7599 February 14, 2019 Mark Cook Kittitas County Public Works 411 N. Ruby St., Ste 1 Ellensburg, WA 98926 Dear Mark, I have reviewed the incident report (attached) from Sgt. Dan Munguia related to the Vantage Highway rescue and recovery efforts that your employees assisted with during the hazardous snow conditions on February 9, 2019. KITTCOM had received numerous 911 calls from people who had become stuck in snow drifts on the highway in the area of mile post 14.5 caused by the poor visibility and blizzard conditions. Approximately 8-10 occupied cars and 3 or 4 semi -trucks were recovered. Because of the planning and actions of the deputies, your road crew and tow trucks there were no injuries during the incident. I appreciate the great response and coordination by your road crew. (Jim Van De Venter, Ryan Berg, John Bugni, Zach Peebles and another `unknown name' plow driver). Please extend my thanks to them and anyone else who I may have left out. The recovery could not have been completed without their assistance. Thanks to your great team! Sincerely J Gene Dana, Sheriff Enclosure laKittitas County Sheriffs Office rr Detail Incident Report Incident Number: S19-01455 Incident: TRAFFIC HAZARD Observed: SEARCH AND RESCUE/RECOVERY When Reported: 09:10:03 02/09/19 Reference Number: Area: Location: VANTAGE HWY MP 17.5;IA Occurred Between: 09:09:29 02/09/19 And: 14:00:00 02/09/19 rplwdirx3 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report NARRATIVE: Name: MUNGUTA, DAN Kittitas County Sheriffs Office Uniform Incident Report CASE #: S19-01455 INCIDENT: Search and rescue SUBJECT: Multiple NARRATIVE: On 2-9-19 at approximately 0910 hours, dispatch advised a traffic hazard report on the Vantage Hwy in the area of MP -14.5. The call soon morphed into a multi vehicle search and rescue as there were multiple 911 calls from people who's vehicles had become stuck in the snow drifts due to the extreme weather conditions. Weather conditions encountered: * Winds of 40-50+ MPH. * Heavy snow * Drifting snow up to 4+ feet in depth. * Visibility limited to full white-out conditions. Roadway conditions: * Heavy winds blowing in multiple directions. * Drifting snow up to 4+ feet. * Low to zero visibility. * Vehicles trapped in drifted snow on and off the roadway. The plan: I contacted the KCPW road Supervisor Ryan Berg and requested assistance with what was now a rescue situation of stranded motorists. I advised Ryan that I was requesting assistance from 2 of the dump truck size snowplows to assist with clearing the roadway as we made our way to the stranded vehicles. (He provided 2 dump truck plows and 2 pick-up plows one of which he and Jim Vandeventer occupied) I had 1 snowplow, 1 patrol vehicle and 1 Deans Tow truck accompany me east toward Vantage. The plan was to follow the plow and recover the stranded vehicles with the Tow truck as we came upon them past MP -17. We would then make our way to Vantage, re -group and with plow in the lead make our way back west with all the vehicles and return them to MP -12 where they could make their way Page 2 of 5 tplwdir.x3 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report back to Ellensburg. I had one heavy snowplow remain at the roadblock which was set up at Vantage Hwy and Parke Creek road. The roadblock was established to keep any further motorists from traveling east and becoming victims and/or complicating the rescue mission. The plow driver was to wait for the second Deans Towing truck. When the Tow truck arrived, it was to follow the plow as far as MP -17 recovering stranded motorists passed by the first team. Remove those motorists (3 total I believe) and then return to the west. I did not want the second team traveling any further east as I did not want the two teams to meet on the roadway. I do not have an accurate count of vehicles and/or passengers inside those vehicles (There were men, women and children). I believe that approximately 8-10 cars were recovered from the drifted roadway and 3-4 semi -trucks were assisted by clearing the roadway so they could continue to Vantage where they would wait out the storm/road closure. Once in Vantage, we picked up more vehicles stranded there and as a caravan, traveled back west toward Ellensburg. The caravan consisted of 1 heavy snowplow leading, 1 patrol car, 16 misc. vehicles, 1 Tow truck and taking up drag was the second patrol truck. The caravan was escorted back to about MP -12 where they then made their way back to Ellensburg. No one was reported injured during this incident. KCSO: * Cpl. Green and Dep. Berg * Dep. Kivi (roadblock) * Misc. Reserve Deputies (roadblock) KCPW: * Jim Vandeventer * Ryan Berg * John Bugni * Zach Peebles * 2nd unknown plow driver. Note: Zach Peebles did an excellent job leading the way for the 1 st team and caravan out. He recognized the difficulty with the white-out conditions, moved at a slow pace and kept in visual contact with my vehicle. When visibility was at its worst, he left strategic trails of sand to mark the roadway. The mission could not have been completed without his assistance. Deans Towing: Page 3 of 5 rplwdir.0 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report * Dean (Owner) * Chris Peterson (2nd tow driver) Note: Deans towing personnel did an excellent job and the mission could not have been completed without their service. The roadway was re -opened on 2-10-19 at approximately 1125 hours. [] NON -DISCLOSURE NAME(S): Distribution: [ ] Upper District Court [ ] Lower District Court [ ] Detectives [ ] Prosecutor [X] Case file [ ] Other: I declare under penalty of perjury, under the laws of the State of Washington, that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Signed at Ellensburg, Washington this 10th day of February, 2019. Deputy Name: Sgt. J.D. Munguia Badge number: 18 Page 4 of 5 rplwdir x3 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report Approval: _ Distribution: City Attorney: Child Protective Services: Detectives: Juvenile Prosecutor: Misdemeanant Probation: 7 Day Board: WSP: [ ] City Prosecutor: [ ] [ ] Courts: [ ] Juvenile Probation [ ] [ ] Mental Health: [ ] [ ] Prosecutor: [ ] [ ] Student Affairs: [ ] [ ] Other: Page 5 of 5 rplwdir x3 02/1419 Ly KITTITAS ('Ol TTV February 26, 2019 Mr. Zach Peebles 411 North Ruby, Suite 1 Ellensburg, WA 98926 KITTZTAS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Mark R. Cook, PE Director RE: February 9, 2019 Vantage Highway Vehicle Recovery Effort Dear Mr. Peebles: This letter acknowledges your outstanding effort recovering stranded vehicles and occupants on Vantage Highway on February 9, 2019. Cooperating with members of the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office, you and three other Public Works employees led a caravan of response vehicles assisting numerous stranded motorists. Your selfless actions during blizzard conditions define who we are in Public Works. Without your efforts, personal injury was likely the outcome for stranded motorists. Your action makes me proud to be a member of Public Works and I greatly appreciate your efforts in this incident. This letter of commendation will remain in your personnel file as acknowledgement of your outstanding performance. Sincerely, Mark R. Cook Director/County Engineer C: Personnel File Mr. Jim Van de Venter, Maintenance Manager Board of County Commissioners Attachment: Sheriff Dana Letter dated 02/14/2019 411 N. Ruby St, Suite #1 TEL (509) 962-7523 Ellensburg, WA 98926 FAX (509) 962-7663 GENE DANA, SHERIFF KITTITAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE 307 W. Umptanum Rd • Ellensburg, WA 98926 (509) 962-7525 • (509) 674-2584 FAX (509) 962-7599 February 14, 2019 Mark Cook Kittiitas County Public Works 411 N. Ruby St., Ste 1 Ellensburg, WA 98926 Dear Mark, I have reviewed the incident report (attached) from Sgt. Dan Munguia related to the Vantage Highway rescue and recovery efforts that your employees assisted with during the hazardous snow conditions on February 9, 2019. KITTCOM had received numerous 911 calls from people who had become stuck in snow drifts on the highway in the area of mile post 14.5 caused by the poor visibility and blizzard conditions. Approximately 8-10 occupied cars and 3 or 4 semi -trucks were recovered. Because of the planning and actions of the deputies, your road crew and tow trucks there were no injuries during the incident. I appreciate the great response and coordination by your road crew. (Jim Van De Venter, Ryan Berg, John Bugni, Zach Peebles and another `unknown name' plow driver). Please extend my thanks to them and anyone else who I may have left out. The recovery could not have been completed without their assistance. Thanks to your great team! Sincerely J Gene Dana, Sheriff Enclosure Kittitas County Sheriffs Office �a Detail Incident Report Incident Number: S19-01455 Incident: TRAFFIC HAZARD Observed: SEARCH AND RESCUE/RECOVERY When Reported: 09:10:03 02/09/19 Reference Number: Area: Location: VANTAGE HWY MP 17.5;IA Occurred Between: 09:09:29 02/09/19 And: 14:00:00 02/09/19 iplwdir.0 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report NARRATIVE: Name: MUNGUTA, DAN Kittitas County Sheriffs Office Uniform Incident Report CASE #: S19-01455 INCIDENT: Search and rescue SUBJECT: Multiple NARRATIVE: On 2-9-19 at approximately 0910 hours, dispatch advised a traffic hazard report on the Vantage Hwy in the area of MP -14.5. The call soon morphed into a multi vehicle search and rescue as there were multiple 911 calls from people who's vehicles had become stuck in the snow drifts due to the extreme weather conditions. Weather conditions encountered: * Winds of 40-50+ MPH. * Heavy snow * Drifting snow up to 4+ feet in depth. * Visibility limited to full white-out conditions. Roadway conditions: * Heavy winds blowing in multiple directions. * Drifting snow up to 4+ feet. * Low to zero visibility. * Vehicles trapped in drifted snow on and off the roadway. The plan: I contacted the KCPW road Supervisor Ryan Berg and requested assistance with what was now a rescue situation of stranded motorists. I advised Ryan that I was requesting assistance from 2 of the dump truck size snowplows to assist with clearing the roadway as we made our way to the stranded vehicles. (He provided 2 dump truck plows and 2 pick-up plows one of which he and Jim Vandeventer occupied) I had 1 snowplow, 1 patrol vehicle and 1 Deans Tow truck accompany me east toward Vantage. The plan was to follow the plow and recover the stranded vehicles with the Tow truck as we came upon them past MP -17. We would then make our way to Vantage, re -group and with plow in the lead make our way back west with all the vehicles and return them to MP -12 where they could make their way Page 2 of 5 rplwdir.0 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report back to Ellensburg. I had one heavy snowplow remain at the roadblock which was set up at Vantage Hwy and Parke Creek road. The roadblock was established to keep any further motorists from traveling east and becoming victims and/or complicating the rescue mission. The plow driver was to wait for the second Deans Towing truck. When the Tow truck arrived, it was to follow the plow as far as MP -17 recovering stranded motorists passed by the first team. Remove those motorists (3 total I believe) and then return to the west. I did not want the second team traveling any further east as I did not want the two teams to meet on the roadway. I do not have an accurate count of vehicles and/or passengers inside those vehicles (There were men, women and children). I believe that approximately 8-10 cars were recovered from the drifted roadway and 3-4 semi -trucks were assisted by clearing the roadway so they could continue to Vantage where they would wait out the storm/road closure. Once in Vantage, we picked up more vehicles stranded there and as a caravan, traveled back west toward Ellensburg. The caravan consisted of I heavy snowplow leading, 1 patrol car, 16 misc. vehicles, 1 Tow truck and taking up drag was the second patrol truck. The caravan was escorted back to about MP -12 where they then made their way back to Ellensburg. No one was reported injured during this incident. KCSO: * Cpl. Green and Dep. Berg * Dep. Kivi (roadblock) * Misc. Reserve Deputies (roadblock) KCPW: * Jim Vandeventer * Ryan Berg * John Bugni * Zach Peebles * 2nd unknown plow driver. Note: Zach Peebles did an excellent job leading the way for the 1 st team and caravan out. He recognized the difficulty with the white-out conditions, moved at a slow pace and kept in visual contact with my vehicle. When visibility was at its worst, he left strategic trails of sand to mark the roadway. The mission could not have been completed without his assistance. Deans Towing: Page 3 of 5 cplwdicx3 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report * Dean (Owner) * Chris Peterson (2nd tow driver) Note: Deans towing personnel did an excellent job and the mission could not have been completed without their service. The roadway was re -opened on 2-10-19 at approximately 1125 hours. [] NON -DISCLOSURE NAME(S): Distribution: (] Upper District Court [ ] Lower District Court [ ] Detectives [ ] Prosecutor [X] Case file [ ] Other: I declare under penalty of perjury, under the laws of the State of Washington, that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Signed at Ellensburg, Washington this 10th day of February, 2019. Deputy Name: Sgt. J.D. Munguia Badge number: 18 Page 4 of 5 rplwdir.x3 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report Approval: ------- ... Distribution: City Attorney: Child Protective Services: Detectives: Juvenile Prosecutor: Misdemeanant Probation: 7 Day Board: WSP: [ ] City Prosecutor: [ ] [ ] Courts: [ ] --------------------- [ ] Juvenile Probation: [ ] [ ] Mental Health: [ ] [ ] Prosecutor: [ ] [ ] Student Affairs: [ ] [ ] Other:--------------------- Page 5 of 5 rplwdir.x3 02/14/19 o���U,scnnes... ro>yF�c yo 4p 9 KITTITAS COUNTY February 26, 2019 Mr. Mike Grissom 411 North Ruby, Suite 1 Ellensburg, WA 98926 KZTTZTAl3 COLTlkyPirlL DEPARTMENT OF PUB LEC WORKS Mark R. Cook, PE Director RE: February 9, 2019 Vantage Highway Vehicle Recovery Effort Dear Mr. Grissom: This letter acknowledges your outstanding effort recovering stranded vehicles and occupants on Vantage Highway on February 9, 2019. Cooperating with members of the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office, you and three other Public Works employees led a caravan of response vehicles assisting numerous stranded motorists. Your selfless actions during blizzard conditions define who we are in Public Works. Without your efforts, personal injury was likely the outcome for stranded motorists. Your action makes me proud to be a member of Public Works and I greatly appreciate your efforts in this incident. This letter of commendation will remain in your personnel file as acknowledgement of your outstanding performance. Sincerely, Mark R. Cook Director/County Engineer C: Personnel File Mr. Jim Van de Venter, Maintenance Manager Board of County Commissioners Attachment: Sheriff Dana Letter dated 02/14/2019 411 N. Ruby St, Suite #1 TEL (509) 962-7523 Ellensburg, WA 98926 FAX (509) 962-7663 GENE DANA, SHERIFF KITTITAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE 307 W. Umptanum Rd • Ellensburg, WA 98926 (509) 962-7525 • (509) 674-2584 FAX (509) 962-7599 February 14, 2019 Mark Cook Kittitas County Public Works 411 N. Ruby St., Ste 1 Ellensburg, WA 98926 Dear Mark, I have reviewed the incident report (attached) from Sgt. Dan Munguia related to the Vantage Highway rescue and recovery efforts that your employees assisted with during the hazardous snow conditions on February 9, 2019. KITTCOM had received numerous 911 calls from people who had become stuck in snow drifts on the highway in the area of mile post 14.5 caused by the poor visibility and blizzard conditions. Approximately 8-10 occupied cars and 3 or 4 semi -trucks were recovered. Because of the planning and actions of the deputies, your road crew and tow trucks there were no injuries during the incident. I appreciate the great response and coordination by your road crew. (Jim Van De Venter, Ryan Berg, John Bugni, Zach Peebles and another `unknown name' plow driver). Please extend my thanks to them and anyone else who I may have left out. The recovery could not have been completed without their assistance. Thanks to your great team! Sincerely 7:)::� Gene Dana, Sheriff Enclosure Q"Kittitas County Sheriffs Office r Detail Incident Report Incident Number. S19-01455 Incident: TRAFFIC HAZARD Observed: SEARCH AND RESCUE/RECOVERY When Reported: 09:10:03 02/09/19 Reference Number: Area: Location: VANTAGE HWY MP 17.5;IA Occurred Between: 09:09:29 02/09/19 And: 14:00:00 02/09/19 rplwdirx3 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report NARRATIVE: Name: MUNGUTA, DAN Kittitas County Sheriffs Office Uniform Incident Report CASE #: S19-01455 INCIDENT: Search and rescue SUBJECT: Multiple NARRATIVE: On 2-9-19 at approximately 0910 hours, dispatch advised a traffic hazard report on the Vantage Hwy in the area of MP -14.5. The call soon morphed into a multi vehicle search and rescue as there were multiple 911 calls from people who's vehicles had become stuck in the snow drifts due to the extreme weather conditions. Weather conditions encountered: * Winds of 40-50+ MPH. * Heavy snow * Drifting snow up to 4+ feet in depth. * Visibility limited to full white-out conditions. Roadway conditions: * Heavy winds blowing in multiple directions. * Drifting snow up to 4+ feet. * Low to zero visibility. * Vehicles trapped in drifted snow on and off the roadway. The plan: I contacted the KCPW road Supervisor Ryan Berg and requested assistance with what was now a rescue situation of stranded motorists. I advised Ryan that I was requesting assistance from 2 of the dump truck size snowplows to assist with clearing the roadway as we made our way to the stranded vehicles. (He provided 2 dump truck plows and 2 pick-up plows one of which he and Jim Vandeventer occupied) I had 1 snowplow, 1 patrol vehicle and 1 Deans Tow truck accompany me east toward Vantage. The plan was to follow the plow and recover the stranded vehicles with the Tow truck as we came upon them past MP -17. We would then make our way to Vantage, re -group and with plow in the lead make our way back west with all the vehicles and return them to MP -12 where they could make their way Page 2 of 5 rp1wdirx3 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report back to Ellensburg. I had one heavy snowplow remain at the roadblock which was set up at Vantage Hwy and Parke Creek road. The roadblock was established to keep any further motorists from traveling east and becoming victims and/or complicating the rescue mission. The plow driver was to wait for the second Deans Towing truck. When the Tow truck arrived, it was to follow the plow as far as MP -17 recovering stranded motorists passed by the first team. Remove those motorists (3 total I believe) and then return to the west. I did not want the second team traveling any further east as I did not want the two teams to meet on the roadway. I do not have an accurate count of vehicles and/or passengers inside those vehicles (There were men, women and children). I believe that approximately 8-10 cars were recovered from the drifted roadway and 3-4 semi -trucks were assisted by clearing the roadway so they could continue to Vantage where they would wait out the storm/road closure. Once in Vantage, we picked up more vehicles stranded there and as a caravan, traveled back west toward Ellensburg. The caravan consisted of 1 heavy snowplow leading, 1 patrol car, 16 misc. vehicles, 1 Tow truck and taking up drag was the second patrol truck. The caravan was escorted back to about MP -12 where they then made their way back to Ellensburg. No one was reported injured during this incident. KCSO: * Cpl. Green and Dep. Berg * Dep. Kivi (roadblock) * Misc. Reserve Deputies (roadblock) KCPW: * Jim Vandeventer * Ryan Berg * John Bugni * Zach Peebles * 2nd unknown plow driver. Note: Zach Peebles did an excellent job leading the way for the 1 st team and caravan out. He recognized the difficulty with the white-out conditions, moved at a slow pace and kept in visual contact with my vehicle. When visibility was at its worst, he left strategic trails of sand to mark the roadway. The mission could not have been completed without his assistance. Deans Towing: Page 3 of 5 rplwdir.z3 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report * Dean (Owner) * Chris Peterson (2nd tow driver) Note: Deans towing personnel did an excellent job and the mission could not have been completed without their service. The roadway was re -opened on 2-10-19 at approximately 1125 hours. [] NON -DISCLOSURE NAME(S): Distribution: [ ] Upper District Court [ ] Lower District Court [ ] Detectives [ ] Prosecutor [X] Case file [ ] Other: I declare under penalty of perjury, under the laws of the State of Washington, that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Signed at Ellensburg, Washington this 10th day of February, 2019. Deputy Name: Sgt. J.D. Munguia Badge number: 18 Page 4 of 5 rplwdir.0 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report Approval: _ Distribution: City Attorney: Child Protective Services: Detectives: Juvenile Prosecutor: Misdemeanant Probation: 7 Day Board: WSP: [ ] City Prosecutor: [ [ ] Courts: [ ] -------------------- [ ] Juvenile Probation: [ ] [ ] Mental Health: [ ] [ ] Prosecutor: [ ] [ ] Student Affairs: [ ] [ ] Other: Page 5 of 5 rplwdicx3 02/14/19 L KMITAS COUNTY February 26, 2019 Mr. John Bugni 411 North Ruby, Suite Ellensburg, WA 98926 KZTTZT1A1l3 COZJNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Mark R. Cook, PE Director RE: February 9, 2019 Vantage Highway Vehicle Recovery Effort Dear Mr. Bugni: This letter acknowledges your outstanding effort recovering stranded vehicles and occupants on Vantage Highway on February 9, 2019. Cooperating with members of the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office, you and three other Public Works employees led a caravan of response vehicles assisting numerous stranded motorists. Your selfless actions during blizzard conditions define who we are in Public Works. Without your efforts, personal injury was likely the outcome for stranded motorists. Your action makes me proud to be a member of Public Works and I greatly appreciate your efforts in this incident. This letter of commendation will remain in your personnel file as acknowledgement of your outstanding performance. Sincerely, ��DD xo-la rr " Mark R. Cook Director/County Engineer C: Personnel File Mr. Jim Van de Venter, Maintenance Manager Board of County Commissioners Attachment: Sheriff Dana Letter dated 02/14/2019 411 N. Ruby St, Suite #1 TEL (509) 962-7523 Ellensburg, WA 98926 FAX (509) 962-7663 GENE DANA, SHERIFF KITTITAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE Jrr 307 W. Umptanum Rd • Ellensburg, WA 98926 r (509) 962-7525 • (509) 674-2584 FAX (509) 962-7599 February 14, 2019 Mark Cook Kittitas County Public Works 411 N. Ruby St., Ste 1 Ellensburg, WA 98926 Dear Mark, I have reviewed the incident report (attached) from Sgt. Dan Munguia related to the Vantage Highway rescue and recovery efforts that your employees assisted with during the hazardous snow conditions on February 9, 2019. KITTCOM had received numerous 911 calls from people who had become stuck in snow drifts on the highway in the area of mile post 14.5 caused by the poor visibility and blizzard conditions. Approximately 8-10 occupied cars and 3 or 4 semi -trucks were recovered. Because of the planning and actions of the deputies, your road crew and tow trucks there were no injuries during the incident. I appreciate the great response and coordination by your road crew. (Jim Van De Venter, Ryan Berg, John Bugni, Zach Peebles and another `unknown name' plow driver). Please extend my thanks to them and anyone else who I may have left out. The recovery could not have been completed without their assistance. Thanks to your great team! Sincerely J Gene Dana, Sheriff Enclosure Kittitas County Sheriffs Office IlDetail Incident Report Incident Number: S19-01455 Incident: TRAFFIC HAZARD Observed: SEARCH AND RESCUE/RECOVERY When Reported: 09:10:03 02/09/19 Reference Number: Area: Location: VANTAGE HWY MP 17.5;IA Occurred Between: 09:09:29 02/09/19 And: 14:00:00 02/09/19 rplwdir.0 02/14,19 Detail Incident Report NARRATIVE: Name: MUNGUTA, DAN Kittitas County Sheriffs Office Uniform Incident Report CASE #: S 19-01455 INCIDENT: Search and rescue SUBJECT: Multiple NARRATIVE: On 2-9-19 at approximately 0910 hours, dispatch advised a traffic hazard report on the Vantage Hwy in the area of MP -14.5. The call soon morphed into a multi vehicle search and rescue as there were multiple 911 calls from people who's vehicles had become stuck in the snow drifts due to the extreme weather conditions. Weather conditions encountered: * Winds of 40-50+ MPH. * Heavy snow * Drifting snow up to 4+ feet in depth. * Visibility limited to full white-out conditions. Roadway conditions: * Heavy winds blowing in multiple directions. * Drifting snow up to 4+ feet. * Low to zero visibility. * Vehicles trapped in drifted snow on and off the roadway. The plan: I contacted the KCPW road Supervisor Ryan Berg and requested assistance with what was now a rescue situation of stranded motorists. I advised Ryan that I was requesting assistance from 2 of the dump truck size snowplows to assist with clearing the roadway as we made our way to the stranded vehicles. (He provided 2 dump truck plows and 2 pick-up plows one of which he and Jim Vandeventer occupied) I had 1 snowplow, 1 patrol vehicle and 1 Deans Tow truck accompany me east toward Vantage. The plan was to follow the plow and recover the stranded vehicles with the Tow truck as we came upon them past MP -17. We would then make our way to Vantage, re -group and with plow in the lead make our way back west with all the vehicles and return them to MP -12 where they could make their way Page 2 of 5 rplwdir.0 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report back to Ellensburg. I had one heavy snowplow remain at the roadblock which was set up at Vantage Hwy and Parke Creek road. The roadblock was established to keep any further motorists from traveling east and becoming victims and/or complicating the rescue mission. The plow driver was to wait for the second Deans Towing truck. When the Tow truck arrived, it was to follow the plow as far as MP -17 recovering stranded motorists passed by the first team. Remove those motorists (3 total I believe) and then return to the west. I did not want the second team traveling any further east as I did not want the two teams to meet on the roadway. I do not have an accurate count of vehicles and/or passengers inside those vehicles (There were men, women and children). I believe that approximately 8-10 cars were recovered from the drifted roadway and 3-4 semi -trucks were assisted by clearing the roadway so they could continue to Vantage where they would wait out the storm/road closure. Once in Vantage, we picked up more vehicles stranded there and as a caravan, traveled back west toward Ellensburg. The caravan consisted of 1 heavy snowplow leading, 1 patrol car, 16 misc. vehicles, 1 Tow truck and taking up drag was the second patrol truck. The caravan was escorted back to about MP -12 where they then made their way back to Ellensburg. No one was reported injured during this incident. KCSO: * Cpl. Green and Dep. Berg * Dep. Kivi(roadblock) * Misc. Reserve Deputies (roadblock) KCPW: * Jim Vandeventer * Ryan Berg * John Bugni * Zach Peebles * 2nd unknown plow driver. Note: Zach Peebles did an excellent job leading the way for the 1 st team and caravan out. He recognized the difficulty with the white-out conditions, moved at a slow pace and kept in visual contact with my vehicle. When visibility was at its worst, he left strategic trails of sand to mark the roadway. The mission could not have been completed without his assistance. Deans Towing: Page 3 of 5 Ip1wdG.x3 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report * Dean (Owner) * Chris Peterson (2nd tow driver) Note: Deans towing personnel did an excellent job and the mission could not have been completed without their service. The roadway was re -opened on 2-10-19 at approximately 1125 hours. [] NON -DISCLOSURE NAME(S): Distribution: [ ] Upper District Court [ ] Lower District Court [ ] Detectives [ ] Prosecutor [X] Case file [ ] Other: I declare under penalty of perjury, under the laws of the State of Washington, that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Signed at Ellensburg, Washington this 10th day of February, 2019. Deputy Name: Sgt. J.D. Munguia Badge number: 18 Page 4 of 5 rplwdir.0 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report Approval: _ Distribution: City Attorney: Child Protective Services: Detectives: Juvenile Prosecutor: Misdemeanant Probation: 7 Day Board: WSP: [ ] City Prosecutor: [ ] [ ] Courts: [ ] ---------------------- [ ] Juvenile Probation: [ ] [ ] Mental Health: [ ] [ ] Prosecutor: [ ] [ ] Student Affairs: [ ] [ ] Other: Page 5 of 5 rplwdir.x3 02/14/19 OPUES... TO �<CpC y0 G 4p � x�rr�rns couxry February 26, 2019 Mr. Ryan Berge 411 North Ruby, Suite Ellensburg, WA 98926 KX=XgrAB COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Mark R. Cook, PE Director RE: February 9, 2019 Vantage Highway Vehicle Recovery Effort Dear Mr. Berge: This letter acknowledges your outstanding effort recovering stranded vehicles and occupants on Vantage Highway on February 9, 2019. Cooperating with members of the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office, you and three other Public Works employees led a caravan of response vehicles assisting numerous stranded motorists. Your selfless actions during blizzard conditions define who we are in Public Works. Without your efforts, personal injury was likely the outcome for stranded motorists. Your action makes me proud to be a member of Public Works and I greatly appreciate your efforts in this incident. This letter of commendation will remain in your personnel file as acknowledgement of your outstanding performance. Siinccerely,� gyp/ X419= j1' Mark R. Cook Director/County Engineer C: Personnel File Mr. Jim Van de Venter, Maintenance Manager Board of County Commissioners Attachment: Sheriff Dana Letter dated 02/14/2019 411 N. Ruby St, Suite #1 TEL (509) 962-7523 Ellensburg, WA 98926 FAX (509) 962-7663 GENE DANA, SHERIFF k� KITTITAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE I" w 307 W. Um tanum Rd • Ellensburg, - p g, WA 98926 (509) 962-7525 • (509) 674-2584 FAX (509) 962-7599 February 14, 2019 Mark Cook Kittitas County Public Works 411 N. Ruby St., Ste 1 Ellensburg, WA 98926 Dear Mark, I have reviewed the incident report (attached) from Sgt. Dan Munguia related to the Vantage Highway rescue and recovery efforts that your employees assisted with during the hazardous snow conditions on February 9, 2019. KITTCOM had received numerous 911 calls from people who had become stuck in snow drifts on the highway in the area of mile post 14.5 caused by the poor visibility and blizzard conditions. Approximately 8-10 occupied cars and 3 or 4 semi -trucks were recovered. Because of the planning and actions of the deputies, your road crew and tow trucks there were no injuries during the incident. I appreciate the great response and coordination by your road crew. (Jim Van De Venter, Ryan Berg, John Bugni, Zach Peebles and another `unknown name' plow driver). Please extend my thanks to them and anyone else who I may have left out. The recovery could not have been completed without their assistance. Thanks to your great team! Sincerely . i)::� �� - Gene Dana, Sheriff Enclosure Kittitas County Sheriffs Office Q. r Detail Incident Report Incident Number: S19-01455 Incident: TRAFFIC HAZARD Observed: SEARCH AND RESCUE/RECOVERY When Reported: 09:10:03 02/09/19 Reference Number: Area: Location: VANTAGE HWY MP 17.5;IA Occurred Between: 09:09:29 02/09/19 And: 14:00:00 02/09/19 rplwdir.0 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report NARRATIVE: Name: MUNGUTA, DAN Kittitas County Sheriffs Office Uniform Incident Report CASE#: S19-01455 INCIDENT: Search and rescue SUBJECT: Multiple NARRATIVE: On 2-9-19 at approximately 0910 hours, dispatch advised a traffic hazard report on the Vantage Hwy in the area of MP -14.5. The call soon morphed into a multi vehicle search and rescue as there were multiple 911 calls from people who's vehicles had become stuck in the snow drifts due to the extreme weather conditions. Weather conditions encountered: * Winds of 40-50+ MPH. * Heavy snow * Drifting snow up to 4+ feet in depth. * Visibility limited to full white-out conditions. Roadway conditions: * Heavy winds blowing in multiple directions. * Drifting snow up to 4+ feet. * Low to zero visibility. * Vehicles trapped in drifted snow on and off the roadway. The plan: I contacted the KCPW road Supervisor Ryan Berg and requested assistance with what was now a rescue situation of stranded motorists. I advised Ryan that I was requesting assistance from 2 of the dump truck size snowplows to assist with clearing the roadway as we made our way to the stranded vehicles. (He provided 2 dump truck plows and 2 pick-up plows one of which he and Jim Vandeventer occupied) I had 1 snowplow, 1 patrol vehicle and 1 Deans Tow truck accompany me east toward Vantage. The plan was to follow the plow and recover the stranded vehicles with the Tow truck as we came upon them past MP -17. We would then make our way to Vantage, re -group and with plow in the lead make our way back west with all the vehicles and return them to MP -12 where they could make their way Page 2 of 5 rplwdir.0 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report back to Ellensburg. I had one heavy snowplow remain at the roadblock which was set up at Vantage Hwy and Parke Creek road. The roadblock was established to keep any further motorists from traveling east and becoming victims and/or complicating the rescue mission. The plow driver was to wait for the second Deans Towing truck. When the Tow truck arrived, it was to follow the plow as far as MP -17 recovering stranded motorists passed by the first team. Remove those motorists (3 total I believe) and then return to the west. I did not want the second team traveling any further east as I did not want the two teams to meet on the roadway. I do not have an accurate count of vehicles and/or passengers inside those vehicles (There were men, women and children). I believe that approximately 8-10 cars were recovered from the drifted roadway and 3-4 semi -trucks were assisted by clearing the roadway so they could continue to Vantage where they would wait out the storm/road closure. Once in Vantage, we picked up more vehicles stranded there and as a caravan, traveled back west toward Ellensburg. The caravan consisted of 1 heavy snowplow leading, 1 patrol car, 16 misc. vehicles, 1 Tow truck and taking up drag was the second patrol truck. The caravan was escorted back to about MP -12 where they then made their way back to Ellensburg. No one was reported injured during this incident. KCSO: * Cpl. Green and Dep. Berg * Dep. Kivi (roadblock) * Misc. Reserve Deputies (roadblock) KCPW: * Jim Vandeventer * Ryan Berg * John Bugni * Zach Peebles * 2nd unknown plow driver. Note: Zach Peebles did an excellent job leading the way for the 1 st team and caravan out. He recognized the difficulty with the white-out conditions, moved at a slow pace and kept in visual contact with my vehicle. When visibility was at its worst, he left strategic trails of sand to mark the roadway. The mission could not have been completed without his assistance. Deans Towing: Page 3 of 5 rplwdir.0 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report * Dean (Owner) * Chris Peterson (2nd tow driver) Note: Deans towing personnel did an excellent job and the mission could not have been completed without their service. The roadway was re -opened on 2-10-19 at approximately 1125 hours. [] NON -DISCLOSURE NAME(S): Distribution: [ ] Upper District Court [ ] Lower District Court [ ] Detectives [ ] Prosecutor [X] Case file [ ] Other: I declare under penalty of perjury, under the laws of the State of Washington, that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Signed at Ellensburg, Washington this 10th day of February, 2019. Deputy Name: Sgt. J.D. Munguia Badge number: 18 Page 4 of 5 rplwdir.0 02/14/19 Detail Incident Report Approval: _ Distribution: City Attorney: Child Protective Services: Detectives: Juvenile Prosecutor: Misdemeanant Probation: 7 Day Board: WSP: [ ] City Prosecutor: [ ] [ ] Courts: [ ] ----------------------- [ ] Juvenile Probation: [ ] [ ] Mental Health: [ ] [ ] Prosecutor: [ ] [ ] Student Affairs: [ ] [ ] Other: _ Page 5 of 5 rplwdir.x3 02/14/19