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Bastrop Fire Department Chief Henry Perry (left) with BEC’s Victor Vana. BEC Photo
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BEC lineman to the rescue of paratroopers up in trees
— Rescuing a parachutist dangling in a tree is not a normal occurrence for most people, but that is just what happened to Victor Vana, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative journeyman lineman, on Jan. 23.
“I was just coming off another job when I got a call from the [Bluebonnet] Control Center asking me to rescue a person in a parachute out of a tree,” Vana said. “I radioed back and asked, ‘Are you pulling my leg?’”
It was no joke.
Vana responded and rescued not one, but two Texas Army National Guard paratroopers blown off course from their designated landing site at Camp Swift just north of Bastrop. The paratroopers landed in different trees, each about 30 to 40 feet above the ground.
This was the first time in his 14-year career at Bluebonnet that Vana was called to rescue anyone, but his 16 years experience as a volunteer fireman for the Weimar Fire Department came in handy. As fate would have it, Vana was driving a truck with a larger two-person bucket that aided in the rescue. But, Vana says he would have gotten the paratroopers out of the trees “no matter what.”
Bastrop Fire Department Chief Henry Perry awarded Vana with a plaque, recognizing his contribution in the successful rescue. This is only the third or fourth such award Perry can recall in the last 15 years.
“We had our dispatcher make the call, but we were unsure if we would get the bucket truck,” Perry said. “But Bluebonnet came through for us. We want to thank Bluebonnet for allowing the use of its equipment in a rescue situation.”
The rescue exemplified Bluebonnet’s commitment to the communities it serves.
“Bluebonnet’s foundation values are safety, reliability, respect, courage, community and love,” said Mark Rose, Bluebonnet’s CEO. “We encourage all of our employees to fully live and work within those values, and I believe Victor truly exhibited all of these attributes.”
“This event was a classic example of how cooperation between agencies can result in first rate public service and safety for the citizens of Bastrop County,” said Ronnie McDonald, Bastrop County Judge. “I commend the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative employees for a quick and professional response and as always, I am proud of the men and women that volunteer their time as firefighters. All those that had a part in this rescue are true heroes.”
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative serves nearly 80,000 meters and owns and maintains about 11,000 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 southeastern Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County and from Milam County down to Gonzales County.
For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative go to www.bluebonnetelectric.coop.
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