By Adriana Christianson

Sask. premier recognizes provincial heroes

Apr 21, 2015 | 4:31 PM

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is recognizing people who acted courageously in the moment and saved lives.

Eight-year-old Paraskevi Nagel and her two sisters, Markella and Kiki, are proud of their dad Bill Nagel after watching him get an award from Premier Wall on Tuesday. Nagel was among the list of eight people honoured at the second annual Premier’s Commendation Awards in a small ceremony held at the Legislature on Tuesday.

“He saved this boy from falling off a chairlift,” Paraskevi proudly told reporters after the ceremony.

“We didn’t know who he was because we were so far away from him,” Paraskevi said. “As soon as he came down we were like ‘did you see that man rescue the little boy?’ He was like ‘girls that was me.’”

The Regina family was skiing at Bridger Bowl Ski Resort in Montana in February. The three young sisters had just finished ski lessons and were heading into the chalet when their dad went to the rescue of another little boy.

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“I heard somebody scream and I looked up and there was a young boy dangling from the chairlift. His grandfather – which I didn’t know at the time – had him by the back of the jacket about 35 feet up,” Nagel said.

The Regina teacher and father of three admits he wasn’t actually thinking about it when he took off his skis and ran up the hill. Another man helped him climb over the mat surrounding the pole, then he scaled the ladder on ski boots. At first he couldn’t reach the boy but he managed to swing him around then grab him by the waist.

“It was pure adrenaline, I just reacted to the situation because I think if I had put more thought into it, it wouldn’t have happened,” Nagel said.

For his part, he says he certainly didn’t need or want any kind of award. He says it was just the right thing to do. All that really matters to Nagel is knowing that the boy is safe and everything worked out.

Other award recipients included:

Travis Laycock from Saskatoon who rescued a man and woman as their vehicle was sinking into a slough off a gravel road on July 19, 2014.

Brothers Darren and Chris Katzell from Yorkton and Saskatoon who performed the Heimlich maneuver and called 911 to help a woman who was choking at the food court in a mall in Saskatoon.

Blaine Switzer of Swift Current and Jonathan Thomason of Rush Lake who rescued a woman from a burning car after a crash in October 2011. Anthony Williams from Burlington North Carolina was also involved in that 2011 rescue. He died in 2013 but his family told the Premier they appreciated the gesture.

Bob McGrath is also being given the Premier’s Commendation Award in honour of his last year with Kinsmen Telemiracle.

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow