Jake Callanan of South Lake Tahoe on March 24 received the merit and valor certificate from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Jake Callanan

He along with his employer Ski Run Boat Company were given the honor at the Lake Tahoe Marina Association meeting Thursday.

Last summer when Callanan heard a woman screaming he relinquished control of his vessel to the capable hands of his customers. He jumped into the lake, swam about 20yards to find that the woman’s teenage sister was unconscious, unresponsive face down in the water.

While others called 911, Callanan swam and carried the girl back to shore. As he was preparing for to preform CPR she began breathing and eventually regained consciousness.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report