Local police personnel helped save the life of a person in the Nechako River Thursday.
At 10:28 a.m. the Prince George RCMP received a report from a concerned citizen that a woman had gone into the Nechako River near the Cameron Street Bridge in Prince George.
Two off duty 9-1-1 operators that were walking along the Heritage River Trail called in to the RCMP’s Operational Communication Center (OCC) and provided updates as to where the woman was.
Within minutes of the original call, police and other emergency services began arriving in the area and set up at various points along the river. Two officers were able to solicit the assistance of a boat operator and began searching from the water.
Shortly thereafter, and with updates provided by the off-duty 9-1-1 operators, the was seen floating approximately 700 metres from the bridge.
Const. Cole Ebling, a Prince George General Duty officer, ran into the fast moving water and began making his way towards the woman. While this was happening, an off-duty officer sent his dog into the water to grab the woman (this was his personal dog, not a police dog). The dog grabbed the woman and began pulling her back towards Ebling who then grabbed the woman and pulled her back to shore.
The woman was transported to hospital for treatment and is expected to survive.
“Const. Ebeling’s actions and bravery exemplify the efforts and sacrifices our police officers and employees make each and every day here in Prince George,” said Supt. Warren Brown, the officer in charge of the Prince George RCMP, in press release. “Because of Const. Ebeling’s commitment to public safety, he sacrificed his own safety to save the life of a person who would have drowned. I simply cannot ask more of an effort than that.”
The Prince George RCMP want to thank all those that assisted with this rescue, including the original caller, the boat owner, the off-duty 9-1-1 operators, the off-duty officer and his dog, Ebling and many other bystanders who assisted.
