PEGGYS COVE, N.S. – Three volunteer firefighters from Halifax who risked their lives to rescue an RCMP officer at Peggys Cove are being honoured for their bravery.
The men will be recognized in a ceremony on Thursday at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
On Monday, the firefighters — Jason Sparkes, Greg Kutney and Randy Johnson — gathered at the spot on Peggys Cove to share their memories of that day.
“You don’t realize what happened or the extent of what happened until you actually come and see it again,” said Sparkes as he stood on a rock overlooking the water.
On Nov. 6, 2010, Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency received a call regarding a man who had been washed off the rocks at Peggys Cove. Sparkes, Kutney and Johnson arrived at the scene and were immediately met with harsh conditions.
“Our plan was there was a boat that could come from the other side,” said Kutney. “But by the time we turned into Peggys Cove, you could see the waves crashing into the cove itself and we knew the boat wasn’t going to be able to go into the water.”
As the firefighters prepared their gear, Const. Chris Richard of the RCMP went down toward the water to search for the victim.
It was then a wave came and swept Richard out, before throwing him back against the rocks.
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“At that point, we could see the RCMP officer just clinging into the rocks – just getting battered into the rocks down there, yelling for help,” said Kutney.
Sparkes ran to help, but unfortunately both men became caught in the waves.
“All I was thinking about was ‘can we get him up?’ He was too heavy, so I couldn’t lift him. I yelled for help kind of in panic, I guess,” he said.
The RCMP officer’s partner, who didn’t have a life jacket on, also rushed down.
Kutney, who is now a fourth-year medical student, remembers the panicked scene.
“I just remember standing there looking at all three of them clinging to the rocks and they couldn’t pull the original RCMP officer out of the water,” he said.
“So I went down and between the three of us, we were able to haul him out of the water.”
Their ordeal wasn’t over.
They pulled the officer up the rocks, but were still knee-deep in water. Johnson helped the men up to safety.
The 27-year-old man’s body was recovered nine days later, but Richard survived and is recovering.
The Governor General will present Johnson and Kutney with medals of bravery. Sparkes will receive the star of courage, which recognizes acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril.
The men remain humble and say what they did was just a part of their job, although they wish they could have done more.
“It’s surreal living it, but everybody came home. All of us came home that night and that’s the most important part. I just wish we could have done more for the victim.”
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