Lt. Gov. Vaughn Solomon presided over a ceremony Monday recognizing several individuals for bravery.
The Royal Canadian Humane Association Bravery Awards were presented at government House. Among those honoured were three Battlefords RCMP members, Cst. Tara Norman, Cst. Colby Rennie and Cst. Mike Wharington, Megan and Stephan Ireland of Vawn, Mark Margerison of Paynton and Brock Johnson of Pierceland.
Earning bronze medals, constables Norman, Rennie and Wharington were honoured for their roles in preventing a suicide on the Battlefords Bridge.
Their citation reads:
"On the morning of a bone chilling Jan. 20, 2013, North Battleford RCMP received several emergency complaints of a young suicidal man on the highway bridge. Constables Wharington and Norman, who attended the call, could not find the man on the west bridge, however, Cst. Rennie had located him on the east bound bridge. He alerted the other officers that the victim was over the guardrail, hanging on the bridge by his leg and was about to drop some 40 feet to the frozen North Saskatchewan River.
"Cst. Rennie found a large knife near the man and he managed to move it away. He next attempted to talk to the distraught man, but he responded by letting go of the rail. Cst. Rennie immediately grabbed him by his jacket and leg. The man kicked and pulled his leg away yelling at Cst. Rennie to let him go.
"He went limp and the constable grabbed his hand, bracing himself against the guard rail waiting for help to arrive. Cst. Norman was first to arrive. She could not reach over the guard rail so she lay on her stomach and grabbed the victim from under the rail. By now Cst. Rennie was doubled over the top rail and hanging on with all his strength.
"The man also had a rope tied around his neck which was leading to a chain attached to the guard rail. The two constables could not lift the man out of danger. Cst. Wharington now arrived to help. He straddled the guar rail, reached over and grabbed the man by his belt. Together, the three constables were finally able to lift the unresponsive man over the guardrail and lay him down on the pavement, where they removed the rope and chain from his neck.
When EMS arrived, the man was taken to Battleford Hospital for treatment and assessment."
The Irelands earned an Honourary Testimonial Certificate for their role in assisting RCMP in locating an erratic driver.
Their citation reads:
"On the afternoon of May 12, 2013, the Irelands were traveling on Highway 26 towards Meota when they observed a van swerve across the center line and drive erratically at speeds well above and below the posted speed limit. They became concerned, called 911 to report this vehicle and also recorded it with their cell phone.
"After witnessing several close calls between the van and other vehicles, they saw an approaching motorcycle hit the ditch to avoid a collision. At this point Megan got out of her car to assist the motorcyclist, who had sustained back injuries, while Stephan continued to follow the van.
"He kept the vehicle in sight until RCMP members from Turtleford were able to intercept them and Stephan flashed his lights at the police to help them identify it. After RCMP had stopped the van he turned his vehicle around and went back for his wife, who was helping the injured motorcycle driver.
"The Irelands were very helpful to police in providing statements in North Battleford, as well as the video from the cell phone, which will be used to prove impairment and dangerous driving charges."
A bronze medal was awarded to Margerison for his actions during last spring's flooding.
His citation reads:
"On April 27, 2013, the spring thaw caused freezing water to flood across Highway 40, about a mile west of Cut Knife. A women, travelling in a small car with her three children, approached the dangerously slippery section of highway. Margerison was also driving on the road when he observed her vehicle slow down, hydroplane and then slide into the deep, water-filled south ditch. It came to a stop about 15 to 20 feet away from the highway.
"He saw the driver attempt to open the door of the partially submerged vehicle and he also noted that the shoulder deep water began to rush in sinking it deeper underwater. Without hesitation, Marl entered the freezing water and walked out to assist. He grabbed the bigger child and carried her to safety. He re-entered the water and returned to assist by pulling the other two children and the women to safely.
"The car was now totally submerged and the four victims were placed in another vehicle to keep warm. The mother later stated that she was very grateful for Mark's help since she had faced an impossible decision as to which of the children she should rescue first, and which to leave behind."
A bronze medal was also awarded to Brock Johnson, who helped save the life of a friend after he had been mauled by a dog.
His citation reads:
"On April 15, 2012, Brock Johnson, Brett Gonie and Ethan Lacoursier were gopher hunting with the family dog on a farm near Pierceland. Ethan was pulling a gopher from a trap they had set earlier, when the dog, without warning or provocation, jumped on him and knocked him to the ground. The aggressive animal mauled Ethan, and severely injured his face, biting at his ear and nose and exposing some of his skull.
"Nine year-old Brock grabbed the dog, but was unable to pull the 130 pound animal off Ethan. He yelled to Brett who jumped on a quad and used it to charge at the enraged dog, knocking it off Ethan. Brett then got on his dirt bike and quickly drove away to get help, as it would be faster than riding the quad through the bush.
"Brock remained behind to help his severely injured friend. There were bears in the area and he was afraid that the smell of blood might draw them closer. He checked Ethan, wrapped his coat around his badly mauled face and then placed him on the quad. Brock then drove about 10 minutes to the farmhouse where Brett's father had just been alerted by Brett about the attack. The father drove the seriously injured boy to Cold Lake, Alta. hospital.
"Ethan's injuries were so serve that he was medi-vaced to Edmonton for emergency surgery, where more than 300 stitches were required to close his wounds."
The Royal Canadian Humane Association was established in 1894. The organization recognizes deeds of heroism by Canadians in civilian life, who, through their alertness, skill and concern, save or attempt to save a life, especially where those actions lie outside the ordinary duties of the person involved.
