By Nigel Maxwell

P.A. area residents receive medals for bravery

Oct 15, 2018 | 4:44 PM

Five people from the Prince Albert area were recognized for their acts of bravery during a special ceremony in Regina Monday afternoon.

Derrick Boyer, Emily Bird, Kyle Anderson, Brian Gould, and Doug Risling all received medals as part of the Royal Canadian Humane Association Bravery Awards presentation at Government House.

In July 2017, Boyer and Bird came to the rescue of a man who was stabbed and left for dead inside a burning home. They were out for a walk in Prince Albert when they heard a commotion coming from a house before witnessing a male running away from the house. The pair decided to get a closer look and found a 20-year-old man lying on the floor of the living room covered in blood. He was lying beside two couches that were burning fiercely and flames were moving rapidly to the home’s wood-panelled walls. The victim was unconscious so Boyer and Bird dragged him from the house and called 911 as the fire quickly engulfed the house. The victim was taken to hospital, where he eventually recovered from his wounds.

In July 2018, Kyle Anderson and his friend Daren were out on Pat Lake in separate kayaks. The weather was fine when they started out, however, when they reached the centre of the lake, conditions changed rapidly and they were caught in white-capped waves. Daren’s kayak suddenly capsized and although he was wearing a lifejacket, he panicked. He told Anderson he couldn’t swim, and lost mobility in his legs and feet due to cold water shock. Anderson, knowing it was too dangerous to jump in the ice-cold water, retrieved the empty kayak and moved it toward his friend. Daren was able to reach out grab it, and then Anderson, while constantly talking to Daren to keep him from panicking, paddled with one arm and towed the kayak holding Daren, with the other. About an hour later the two men made it safely to shore.

This is not the first time Anderson saved a life. In May 2014 he saved his Aunt Carol from the North Saskatchewan River, after she was involved in a quadding accident. The rescue earned Anderson a Silver Medal for Bravery.

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On Feb. 5, 2018, Brian Gould was driving to the Saskatoon airport for an early morning flight to work. Half an hour into his commute he noticed a car stuck in the snow off Highway 11, just north of Duck Lake. He pulled over and noticed the driver was still inside; the car was in gear with the tires spinning. The door was locked and stuck against a snow bank, so Gould tried shouting and banging at the window, but the driver did not respond. Gould then ran back to his own vehicle, grabbed a shovel, and used it to break the rear passenger-side window to avoid injuring the driver, but he still could not unlock the door. Gould then smashed the driver’s window as the car started on fire and he had to get the driver out. After smashing the window, Gould was able to grab the victim, who was not wearing a seatbelt. As Gould pulled the man through the window, the front left tire exploded, reviving the victim. Gould brought the man to his own truck to keep warm while they waited for the RCMP to arrive. In the meantime, the man’s car was completely engulfed in flames. 

On Aug. 1, 2017 Douglas Risling, a technician with SaskPower, finished some electrical repairs at an apartment complex in Prince Albert. He was just leaving when he noticed smoke pouring out of one of the suites. Realizing the building could be on fire, Doug ran back inside and banged on the doors to alert residents of the danger. He managed to evacuate all 12 residents safely away from the building and then proceeded to disconnect the power to the building before the firefighters arrived. Risling and several of the residents were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

panews@jpbg.ca

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