To Bruce County paramedics Bill Ernest and Daryl Hopcraft, both of the Walkerton area, it was all in a day’s work.
But that work earned them the coveted N. H. McNally Award for Bravery.
The two are among ten who will receive the award in Ontario this year.
The pair was recognized at a Bruce County Council meeting on Thursday.
Community emergency measures coordinator Doug Smith says the two were on duty on July 5th when called to a situation along the Saugeen River where a victim was trapped on the other side of the waterway.
Smith says the two, carrying emergency equipment above their heads, waded chest deep into the river to reach the person to apply CPR.
Smith says the two thought little of their safety and were more concerned about the well-being of a person in distress.
Bill Ernest, speaking on behalf of himself and colleague Daryl Hopcraft, echoed the comments of his supervisor.
He said they did what they had to do and then thought about the perils afterward.
Smith says the awards are not given out lightly and to the best of his knowledge, the only other time the award was given out to a Bruce County recipient was some 20-years ago, following a rescue on Lake Huron near Port Elgin.
