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Lt. Dustin Lightesy, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, recipient of United States Lifesaving Association Meritorious Act Award, for a water rescue at the Sebastian Inlet on October 16, 2017. At approximately noon on October 16, 2017, Lt. Dustin Lightsey received an FWC dispatch advising two vessels had capsized in the Sebastian Inlet in an outgoing tide. Upon arrival Lt. Lightsey saw the vessels under the bridge. A "Towboat US" vessel was completely capsized and a pontoon boat was wedged between the south side's fender and the first cement piling of the bridge. He saw two people in the water near the pontoon boat, both donning PFDs, and he saw that the pontoon operator was trapped in the partially capsized vessel, his legs pinned by the boat's console. The operator was not wearing a PFD. Lt. Lightsey, wearing his PFD, threw a rope line to the Operator, who was able to use it to free himself from the console, but he was immediately washed overboard by the strong, outgoing current. As the victim was being carried out to sea, Lt. Lightsey jumped into the current and swam to the exhausted operator, stabilizing him as they both approached the offshore inlet waves. A nearby boat, operated by two good Samaritans, (Dale Snyder and John Corey) came to assist the rescue effort, but the current was too strong for Lt. Lightsey to get his victim aboard. As Lt. Lightsey held onto both the victim and the boat, the boat was moved to an area where they could safely board. Lt. Lightsey then directed the good Samaritan vessel back to rescue the other victims. IRC Fire Rescue had arrived on scene and had secured one of the victims by attaching a rope to her life ring. Once in position, Lt. Lightsey directed IRC FR to release the rope. He grabbed the life ring and lifted the victim into the boat as the current carried her seaward. Lt. Lightsey, in similar fashion, was able to grab hold of the third victim's PFD as the current carried her seaward. The boat had to be maneuvered, once again, to calmer waters before the victim could be brought safely aboard. Lt. Lightsey assumed operation of the vessel and ran it to the boat ramp, where he released the three victims to Fire Rescue. An ocean search was then conducted by Lt. Lightsey for two other missing persons. One was found safely aboard another vessel and was transported to the boat ramp. The other, the captain of the Towboat US vessel, was located safely onshore. 415 343 FDNY 37 PAPD 23 NYPD 8 EMT -P 3 NYSCO 1 NYFP %►leVlDowJel'l�t'.l� �i�