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Saving lives and preventing accidents —
another routine day for POE employees

Port of Entry employees continue to demonstrate the many contributions they make to safety. Last month, two incidents illustrated their value.

Rock and roll – While driving to Donnelly on Idaho Highway 55, Kim Gale (right) and Steve Savage (left, below) came upon rocks in the road. They managed to avoid hitting them, turned around and removed the rocks while standing in front of the rover truck and its flashing lights. They could still hear rocks and water coming down the mountain. So, they called the Banks maintenance yard to alert them to the hazard.

Continuing north toward Donnelly, they passed a motorist flashing its lights at them. They slowed down and found a 3 foot by 2 foot rock and another half its size in the middle of the northbound lane. They stopped, turned on the truck's emergency lights protecting northbound traffic until a snowplow truck from the Banks maintenance yard arrived 10 minutes later. In the meantime, Steve and Kim removed the smaller debris from the roadway.

"A collision with rock that size would have been life threatening," ITD Compliance Manager Reymundo Rodriguez said. "Steve and Kim's actions could have saved someone's life."

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First responders – Near the Interstate 84 westbound Cotterel Port of Entry in south-central Idaho, a van drove into the back of a semi-trailer. Port Inspector Julie Roseborough (below) responded to the scene (pictured above), assessed and treated the van driver who was in shock and cut on the arm.

Patrick Gregory (right), with the assistance of the Idaho State Police (ISP), coned off the area to protect motorists from the wrecked vehicles and debris.

Because the crash happened at the entrance to the port, inspectors downloaded the video and gave it ISP to assist in the investigation.

"Julie and Patrick acted as first responders to assess and treat the accident victim and prevent secondary crashes," Rodriguez said. "They did excellent work, collaborating with others to make the situation as safe as possible, communicating quickly and providing necessary information to emergency personnel. Amazing work!"