Archie Dennis named volunteer of the year

"It's my world."

That's how Archie Dennis, who has been named "Volunteer of the Year" for 2016, described his life in search and rescue.

Dennis was top vote getter in The Star newspaper's volunteer of the year program for 2016.

Dennis is no stranger in the area. He was born here, attended schools here, and only recently retired after being employed by the Colville Tribes and the Bureau of Reclamation.

His life has been one of helping others.

He is known for his diving rescue work, but that's only part of what he does.

In recent rescue activity, Dennis was active in finding a drowning victim on the Sanpoil River, and helped with the rescue of a woman stranded on a cliff.

As an emergency medical technician, he works out of Okanogan County Fire District 2 in Elmer City, does search and rescue with the sheriff's office in that county, and is a regular with the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department.

"He's always on the job and professional in every way," said former EMT Diane Canady.

Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Chief Rick Paris echoes that sentiment: "Archie is a skilled and dedicated search-and-rescue person. He works with our department both as an EMT and search-and-rescue diver and even helps with training."

You can't describe Dennis in a single story. Nor in two.

He is sort of a multi-faceted gem. Multiple dry and wet suits hang in his rescue garage, along with other gear he needs, whether it be for diving or helping in some other kind of rescue operation.

His volunteer career goes back to when he was 8 years old and following in his father's footsteps as a diver. The two often dove together on rescue jobs.

"My father (Mick) taught me that your skills in diving are a cumulative thing. Each incident builds your skills and confidence,"Archie stated.

That process started early.

"My dad put a tank on my back when all I could do is dog paddle," Archie recalls. That was 54 years ago, and Dennis has been scuba diving ever since.

Dennis once helped law enforcement find a gun, in fact two guns, that had been tossed over the bridge railing into the Columbia River at Vantage, Wash. "I was looking for one gun that ended up helping police solve a case, and found a second gun that helped solve an earlier case," Dennis said.

Rivers and lakes are a lot murkier now than when he first started scuba diving, Dennis said. "There are places where you can hardly see your hand in front of your face, and some places where the water is clear," he said.

Aircraft regularly flying over the area often spot a vehicle that is in the water. And in a recent case, Dennis dove and located a vehicle and confirmed that there was a person inside. Then he returned a little later and helped rescuers get a line on the vehicle and pull it out.

Dennis can go as low as 150 feet beneath the surface, but in most cases it is between 50-100 feet.

He often refers to diving with his late father. They frequently ended up diving together on a wide range of search-and-rescue efforts.

Dennis' gear is packed, and when his pager sounds he is on his way. He can't recall how many dives or rescue efforts he's been on.

The water is truly Dennis' world, where he is often alone with his thoughts and destiny.

The Coulee Dam resident also has a little dredging operation on the side, with a wide range of gear and a few gold nuggets that offer encouragement to keep going.

Congratulations to Archie Dennis, "Volunteer of the Year" for 2016.