Dryden residents attended the 2011 OPP Awards Ceremony to receive special recognition with a Commissioner’s Award. From left: OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis, Margaret Crigger, mother of Kevin Roussin accepting on his behalf, Melissa Zilkalns, Catherine Campbell presenting the St. John’s Ambulance award, and OPP?Superintendent Ron van Straalen.

By Ally Dunham

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Commissioner, Chris D. Lewis, paid a visit to Dryden on May 26 joined by OPP officers, civilian staff and community members from the North West Region for the 2011 Awards Ceremony.

Having the job of Commissioner for only ten months, Lewis said, “After 33 years in the OPP, I’ve been all over the province, I’ve worked all through the north, I’m from the north and I’m the first Commissioner in 102 years in the history of the OPP to ever be from northern Ontario, and one of only three that ever served in northern Ontario.”

Lewis says the biggest challenges facing the OPP right now are staffing, with over 400 members of the OPP looking at retirement this year.

“As I’m travelling around, north, south, east and west, I’m seeing what I’ve been seeing for 33 years. Great people doing great things out there, day in and day out, risking their lives to keep communities safe and working with communities, not just as we did years ago,” said Lewis.

“We used to tell the community what they needed, now we work with the communities and they help us determine their policing needs so we can work together. We can’t do it alone as the police.”

Dryden residents Margaret Crigger, Kevin Roussin and Melissa Zilkalns received special acknowledgement from Lewis in the form of the Commissioner’s Citations for Lifesaving.

James Oltsher was also awarded a civilian twenty-year service plaque for his time with the OPP.

“What these awards ceremonies have also shown me is, number one the great relationship that exists between the OPP and the communities we serve. In some cases here, we’ve got community members that rose to the occasion to help those in need, which is fantastic because we can’t be everywhere all the time,” said Lewis.

“And other cases there are officers who have dealt with very difficult situation, very challenging situations, and they dealt with them well.”

According to an OPP report, following the discovering of a pickup truck at a steep angle in the ditch on Highway 594 in October 2010,

Crigger and her sister Ms. Stower stopped to check for occupants. Seeing the driver slumped over and unresponsive, they pair flagged down Roussin to assist.

Roussin managed to open the driver’s door, and rescuers began two-person CPR, ventilations and chest compressions.

With the assistance of Zilkalns, an off-duty nurse, who had stopped as well, the group continued lifesaving efforts until paramedics arrived.

Sadly, the man could not be revived, but this in no way diminishes the outstanding efforts of these four individuals.