Hometown Heroes: Recognizing Rusty Crispell, Taylor Crispell, Andrew Dean
Our May 22 ServPro Hometown Heroes feature recognizes Rusty Crispell, Taylor Crispell and Andrew Dean. The Red Cross honored them with the Good Neighbor Award.
On Dec. 1, 2018, two female skiers became lost in the Hammond Hill State Forest in the Town of Caroline in Tompkins County.
Members of the Dryden Fire Department and first responders had been conducting a search-and-rescue in the forest.
Andrew Dean, a longtime firefighter and Paramedic Supervisor at Bangs Ambulance in Ithaca lives near the state forest and had been monitoring the search efforts on his scanner.
Because Dean was familiar with the land, he knew of one remote area and its rough terrain. He then called friend and neighbor, Taylor Crispell, who owns a farm near the forest.
The pair recruited Taylor's father, Rusty.
After Andrew contacted the 911 Center, the three set out for that remote area on all-terrain vehicles. It wouldn't be long before they heard people screaming. They had located the skiers, who were trying to stay warm under pine trees.
Andrew, Taylor and Rusty located the women, who by then had developed hypothermia and were dehydrated. The women were taken to safety thanks to the lifesaving actions of Rusty Crispell, Taylor Crispell and Andrew Dean.
The ServPro Hometown Heroes segment airs each Wednesday on Fox 40 News at 10.