BLANCA — Two Adams State University students are alive and well today, thanks to rapid action by a sheriff’s sergeant and a private citizen.

Sgt. Paul Quintana was called out by dispatch at around 9:43 a.m. Feb. 18 regarding Daniel Robins and Quincey Davison, both 24 and both from Adams State, who were stuck in ice and stranded on Smith Reservoir.

Quintana called out Ft Garland Fire and EMS to assist and, once the parties were located, Quintana requested a boat to be able to reach the parties as they had been drifted by high winds and waves to the north end of the lake.

A private citizen acquired a small Jon boat and volunteered to go with Quintana out to get to the males.

Risking their own safety, the sergeant and the citizen ran into ice and decided to walk across the ice to get to the males.

While walking, Quintana fell through the ice but safely made it back onto the boat. Knowing how cold the water was, Sgt. Quintana and the citizen pressed on. When they were approximately 45 feet from the males, Quintana threw a safety rope to them due to the ice thinning, and the two males were safely pulled to shore. Both rescuers and the two male parties were checked by EMS and were cleared without injury.

The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Ft. Garland Fire, Costilla EMS and the citizen who assisted in getting the males back to safety.