BERKELEY – Two firefighters were honored for saving a woman’s life. But it wasn’t from a fire. It was from drowning.
The incident happened on the morning of April 8. The fire companies were dispatched to a Drake Drive home for a swimmer in distress.
When Bayville Fire Company Chief Ken Anderson and Lt. Brian Scott arrived, they saw a woman almost completely under the water, barely holding on to a bulkhead. She was also holding her dog.
It was still cold, so the firefighters suspected hypothermia. They partially entered the water. Scott was able to grab the dog and bring it on land, and Anderson helped the woman onto the bulkhead.
First aid squads arrived to treat the woman.
“If it were not for the quick response and actions of Chief Ken Anderson and Lt. Brian Scott, the victim would have succumbed to the effects of hypothermia and would have drowned in the frigid water,” according to a report of the rescue, which had been written by assistant Chief John Anderson.
At the most recent Township Council meeting, Mayor Carmen Amato read the report and the governing body gave them the Life Saving Award. The two firefighters didn’t say much except a humble thank you.
“It’s a privilege to be a firefighter in this town, and it’s an honor,” Anderson said.
