Police Chief Mary Lyons gave two young men citations and appointed one full-time officer at Tuesday night’s Selectmen meeting.

Christopher Nicolosi of Mattapoisett and Alex Turner of Lakeville were recognized for helping a 40-year-old man who fell off the trestle bridge between Mattapoisett Neck Road and Reservation Road on July 30. The 15-foot drop onto rocks left the man critically injured, said Lyons.

When officer Adalberto Cardoso Jr. arrived on the scene, it was difficult for him to reach the man, and he asked Nicolosi and Turner, who were in a skiff, to help, which they did.

The tight, shallow area made the rescue tricky.

“I wasn’t sure how I was going to get the guy out of there,” said Cardoso. “You made it a lot easier on us.”

Lyons said Nicolosi took an EMT course but never finished it.

“He wasn’t sure blood and guts were his thing,” she said.

After helping to rescue the man, however, he now plans to get his certification.

In addition to framed citations for Nicolosi and Turner, the police association also gave them a gift.

Cardoso wasn’t done after Nicolosi and Turner received their honors. After serving on the department for several years he officially became full time on Tuesday.

The newly married officer’s wife, Molly, attached his badge, and Lyons swore him in.

“He’s definitely an asset to our department,” she said.

Cardoso is a Dartmouth native who now lives in Fairhaven and who went to the police academy in Florida.