April 2021

Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue 2020 Annual Terry Tibke Memorial Award Honoree Edwin Prada Of the previous well deserving 43 annual Tibke Honorees, it would be very hard to find one that epitomizes the spirit of Terry Tibke more than Edwin Prada. Within SAR, there is no one who is more “always there, getting tasks done, and never noticed” than Edwin. Edwin first joined the Snohomish Unit in 1997 and was always a frequent responder. Three years later, he joined the Helicopter Rescue Team and is currently the longest serving Rescue Technician and longtime Assistant Coordinator for the team. He also became a member of Everett Mountain Rescue Unit in 2004 and is one of the longest serving members there as well. While those are important contributions in themselves, what is truly special about Edwin is what you do not see. If you try to point out his contributions that you notice, he will always say “I prefer to stay invisible”. He does not need, and especially does not want to receive recognition. He just likes to quietly do his thing without the distraction of being noticed or praised. Some examples of his behind-the-scenes work have touched us all. […]

At the recent Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office’s 2020 annual awards ceremony, our Helicopter Response Team was honored with Life Saving Awards and Medals. The award was for helping to save the life of a badly injured hiker on Table Mountain last August. The on duty team members that day are pictured left to right, starting from the second person on the left are Crew Chief Randy Wilkins, Recue Technician Yana Radenska, Flight Medic Richard Duncan, Pilot Jennifer Stollwerck, and Pilot-in-Command Steve Klett. Also pictured on each end are the presenting Sheriff’s Office command staff including Sheriff Adam Fortney on the far right.