Two and a half years ago, Harley Hakanen and Anthony Hockenhull saved a life.
They performed a daring water rescue, successfully extracting a victim from a submerged vehicle near the marina. On Saturday, the pair of Thunder Bay fire fighters received commendation for their actions and were presented with the Honour Award for an act of bravery performed under life-threatening conditions.
Hockenhull said they just did what any other fire fighter would do, help someone in need. District Chief Jon Swaggert served as the incident commander that day, he was also recognized for his role in the rescue. But he's quick to pass the credit along to the two fire fighters in the water.
Mark Ferrence took home a Merit Award, after successfully administering CPR to a bus driver who collapsed while loading hockey gear onto a vehicle during a tournament in Sault Ste. Marie. Ryan Currie and Dan Coulter were each presented with Valor Awards, after saving a trapped fellow fire fighter from a burning building this past Spring.
The fire fighters all say the same thing, they were simply doing what they're trained to do. The Fire Service also welcomed six new recruits Saturday. They'll begin active duty this coming week.
