By Lara Fominoff @fomsy1 on Twitter

28 Lethbridge citizens recognized for saving lives, heroic deeds

Oct 5, 2017 | 2:38 PM

LETHBRIDGE – “It takes something special within you, to stand up and act,” said Lethbridge Fire Prevention Officer Mark Hoveling, as more than two dozen citizens were recognized Thursday (Oct. 5) at the Community Hero Awards Ceremony at Lethbridge City Hall.
 
Among those who stepped up and saved lives were nine staff members at a local school, who came to the aid of a young student that had collapsed on a cold day while playing outside. The child, who had no idea they had a potentially deadly medical condition had a seizure, and went into cardiac arrest. The team of administrators, teachers and support staff administered CPR and called 9-1-1. Without them, the child would not have survived.
 
Other selfless acts of heroicism included a team of employees who saved a man having a seizure in a store, a teacher who saved a choking child, two people who administered naloxone to an overdosing addict, and several people who either reported, or put out potentially serious fires.
 
Rob Wright and Matt Mosby were working near Winston Villa (13 St. N.) on August 31, when they saw that the building next to them was on fire.
 
“We were getting ready to leave, when we noticed that there was a family on the third floor balcony, screaming for help,” says Wright.
 
“We have service ladders on our truck, 23 foot extension ladders, so we grabbed it, put it up so that the family could come down. Glad that we were there to help them out.”
 
They recall how two of the young children were able to come down by themselves, while the mother and a baby needed some extra help. Both say there were a lot of people helping out that day, and they were just happy to be in the right place at the right time.
 
“I think it’s a little more recognition than we deserve, cause there was a lot of people there who kinda contributed to the day’s events.”
 
Hoveling believes it’s important to recognize those who go above and beyond in a crisis situation.
 
“There’s so much bad news in the world, and it’s so refreshing to hear lots of good news and good news happens quite often.”
 
Paramedics and firefighters also want to share that with the whole community by gathering information from those who perform the outstanding acts.
 
“Sure there’s needles on the street,” says Hoveling. “But there’s a lot of people out there that care, and do go that extra mile. I honestly believe everybody has it in them.”