Three lifesaving events in a week for Mukilteo/Clinton ferry route crews

 By Bryn Hunter

Hardcore Halloween fans spend October getting ready for the spookiest night of the year. But for our Mukilteo/Clinton ferry route employees, the week before the holiday was truly scary.

Thanks to the quick thinking and bravery of our crew and terminal staff, three lives were saved in one week.

Halloween heroics

Early on Oct. 31, Able-Bodied Sailor Steven Overa saw a crash at the I-5/I-405 interchange in Lynnwood on his way to work in Mukilteo. A vehicle had flipped over and caught fire. Steven pulled over, used his own fire extinguisher to help put out the flames and stayed until emergency crews arrived.

Weekend water rescues

Just a few days earlier, our Mukilteo/Clinton route employees were busy with two water rescues in a single weekend. The same crew on Kitsap saved a person in the water and a kayaker in a span of 24 hours.

On Oct. 26, Mukilteo Ticket Taker Baylee Lane alerted the Kitsap wheelhouse that a woman was in the water near the ferry dock. Capt. Jeff Knaplund stopped the boat right away. Able-Bodied Sailors Collin Brasfield and Ian Fels then launched a rescue boat to help the woman. After about 25 minutes, with help from local police and fire department staff, the woman was safely brought onto the dock. It takes the entire crew, from the wheelhouse to the engine room, to stop a ferry that expertly. And it takes a lot of skill on the part of terminal staff to swiftly respond to an emergency.

Mukilteo terminal staff and local emergency responders wait on the dock while our crew aboard Kitsap rescues a woman in the water on Oct. 26. (Photo courtesy Mukilteo International Association of Firefighters Local 3482)

Then, on Oct. 27, Chief Mate Kevin Simmons saw a kayaker in trouble who couldn’t get back into his kayak. After notifying the Capt. Knaplund, the same two crew members from the day before launched a rescue boat. They pulled the kayaker and his gear from the cold water and brought him to safety. Once on the ferry, Able-Bodied Sailor Elbert Johnson kept an eye on the man until he was handed over to emergency responders on shore.

Able-Bodied Sailors Ian Fels and Collin Brasfield pull a kayaker out of the water and into a rescue boat off Mukilteo on Oct. 27

.We have immense pride in our work at Washington State Ferries and these lifesaving events exemplify the finest ideals of the maritime profession. The safety of our passengers and those we assist in distress is part of our mission. So do not be afraid, Washington State Ferries is looking out for your safety.