Calgary emergency crews responded to two water rescue calls Monday afternoon, prompting a reminder about river safety.
In one incident, the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) said a man in his 50s was fishing in the Bow River, south of the Graves Bridge, when he fell and was swept away. Another man, who was also fishing in the area, witnessed the incident and jumped in the river to help.
READ MORE: Man dies despite heroic Bow River rescue attempt
The second fisherman pulled the victim to the shore and performed CPR until help arrived.
“In this case, the person completely did the right thing to aggressively and continually provide CPR prior to EMS and fire arrival,” Stuart Brideaux with Calgary EMS said.
The CFD said the rescuer put himself at risk and his efforts will likely earn him a nomination for recognition at the annual “Beyond the Call” luncheon.
“It never ceases to amaze me the bravery of citizens across this city to help out,” Stu Laird, a battalion chief with the Calgary Fire Department, said.
Unfortunately, the man who fell in the water was brought to hospital in critical condition and passed away. It’s not known why he slipped in the water but emergency crews say it’s a reminder the water is cold.
“When the water temperature is close to zero (degrees Celsius), then death could occur within 15 minutes,” Laird said. “Our crew tested the temperature tonight (Monday) and it’s at five degrees Celsius, so it would be somewhere in that range of 15 to 60 minutes of being submerged that hypothermia could set in.”
In a second incident, a pair of 17-year-olds fell through the ice in South Glenmore Park at around 3 p.m. Monday.
Firefighters on scene said the teens were lucky they were only 10 metres from shore and were able to be rescued using rope.
According to EMS, they were taken to the Rockyview General Hospital with mild hypothermia.
“Right now, the ice will never be thick enough to hold anybody up at this time of year,” Laird said.
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