Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) maintenance worker Peter Anthony is credited for helping save a 54 year-old man’s life on New Year’s Day.

A distraught man approached Anthony, a veteran of five years with PP&R, on the north shore of Sellwood Riverfront Park (SE Spokane St. & Oaks Parkway) before sunrise on January 1, 2012.  In a weak voice, the shivering man said he had flipped his kayak upstream on the Willamette, and fallen into the water off Oaks Park.  The cold river water got inside of his improperly zipped suit.  Anthony recognized the man was suffering from hypothermia, and took actions that likely saved his life.

Peter Anthony immediately took the man to a nearby building with heat to warm him up.  Anthony called 9-1-1 for help, and paramedics arrived to treat the man.  The kayaker, who recovered, eventually reached friends by phone, who brought him fresh clothes and drove him home.

Anthony recognized the signs of hypothermia, the life-threatening condition that results when core body temperature falls below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, the heart, nervous system and other organs can’t function correctly. Left untreated, hypothermia can eventually lead to complete failure of the heart and respiratory system, and to death (Mayoclinic.com).  PP&R takes great pride in the bureau’s First Aid/CPR/Automatic External Defibrillator program, which provides education and skills in recognizing medical emergencies and taking appropriate actions.

“Peter recognized the man’s desperation and took immediate actions that saved his life,” says Portland Parks & Recreation Safety Manager Barbara Aguon. ““One of the greatest dangers of hypothermia is the difficulty for the person in this situation to recognize what is occurring.”

Anthony is a park technician for PP&R.  He graduated from Oregon State University with a resource recreation management degree.  Anthony served on the Portland Parks & Recreation safety committee for more than four years.  His supervisors laud his dedication to his work and to making the workplace safe.

“Peter says the man was 54 years old  I asked Peter if he was invited to the man’s 55th birthday since there might not have been a 55th without him,” says his supervisor, PP&R District Services Supervisor Betsy Redfearn. “He was in the right place at the right time, and acted quickly.”

Portland Parks & Recreation urges the public to take proper safety precautions for cold weather.

Symptoms of hypothermia include:

• · Shivering
• · Clumsiness or lack of coordination
• · Slurred speech or mumbling
• · Stumbling
• · Confusion or difficulty thinking
• · Poor decision making, such as trying to remove warm clothes
• · Drowsiness or very low energy
• · Apathy or lack of concern about one’s condition
• · Progressive loss of consciousness
• · Weak pulse
• · Slow, shallow breathing

(Mayoclinic.com)