Courage in Action

Courage in Action: Robert Piersma ’98

Robert Piersma (second from left) at presentation ceremony

As a Department of Environmental Conservation forest ranger, Robert Piersma ‘98 was trained for water rescues. In more than 17 years on the job, he had never needed to employ those skills.

But on April 10, 2017, Piersma relied on his training—and his ability to think fast—when he was dispatched to Chittning Pond in Waterville, New York. Three men had capsized their canoe; one man had made it to safety but the other two were struggling to stay afloat in the frigid water. Witnesses who called 911 estimated the men had been in the water for nearly an hour and weren’t making progress toward the shore.

Piersma arrived on the scene and sprang into action.

“I ran to my truck, threw on my cold-water rescue gear, and swam out to them,” he says.

The men were unresponsive when he approached, and Piersma recalls that it felt harder than he expected to swim with them to shore—only discovering later that the canoe’s anchor had been tangled around one man’s leg.

“After I saw that, I realized how badly things could have went,” he says.

Once on land, the men were transported to two local hospitals, where they were treated for hypothermia and other injuries; one man’s body temperature was below 87 degrees. EMTs on the scene told Piersma that, without question, he’d saved their lives.

At a ceremony in May, Piersma (pictured, second from left) was presented with the New York State Liberty Medal, one of the highest civilian honors, given to individuals who have merited special commendation for exceptional, heroic, or humanitarian acts and achievements on behalf of fellow New Yorkers. Senator Joseph Griffo presented the award.

“Ranger Piersma displayed remarkable bravery, courage and initiative,” said Griffo. “He was able to think quickly while under intense pressure and with lives on the line.”