Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Pictured above Preston Weisenburger (left) and Jeremy Schmaltz (right) are handed their Good Neighbor Award.
Preston Weisenburger and Jeremy Schmaltz, both plant operators, were traveling to work at 4:30 a.m. April 18, when they saw a semi had rolled into the ditch on North Dakota Highway 52.
They were the first on the scene and responded quickly by calling 911.
While Weisenburger was on the phone with the dispatcher, Schmaltz assessed the situation and found a non-responsive driver in the cab.
Weisenburger immediately used his Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response training provided by Great River Energy to try to identify whether the contents of the truck were hazardous.
"I began looking for a UN number (a four-digit number that identifies hazardous materials and articles) to determine what was in the large stainless-steel tanker but was unable to find it," Weisenburger said. "We did find a labeled dairy truck and although we couldn't confirm it was dairy, we didn't smell or see anything that was too alarming."
The driver regained consciousness during this time and they helped remove him from the truck, keeping him comfortable until first responders arrived.
"The first responder and first-aid training from Great River Energy helped in this situation," Weisenburger said. "We knew to immediately call 911 to get help coming, and we also called and updated the 911 dispatcher when the driver became conscious, and we determined it wasn't a hazardous chemical he was carrying."
Both men earned the Good Neighbor Program's Award of Merit because of their actions. The incident was a good time for Schmaltz and Weisenburger to reflect on the hazards they face in their daily commute.
"The accident was caused when the driver fell asleep less than an hour into his trip," Schmaltz said. "Many of us travel more than 15-20 minutes to work and may spend eight to 12 hours a day there. These get to be long days and you may find yourself getting tired while driving. If there is another employee you can carpool with, consider talking with them and/or your leader to see if something can be arranged. Your family is counting on you to come home every day."
The Good Neighbor Program is a volunteer community service program. It recognizes those individuals who offer a helping hand in the communities we serve.
Great River Energy employees are encouraged to call 911, use first aid and CPR to sustain life and minimize injury, use cellphones or two-way radios to call for services, remain at the emergency scene and report any questionable activities to the proper authorities.
