A Prince George RCMP officer is being commended for his quick thinking this morning when he rescued a woman from the Nechako River.
Cst. Cole Ebeling unloaded his equipment and ran chest deep into the freezing and fast-moving river to retrieve the woman. It just so happened an off-duty Mountie was walking along the Heritage River Trail and sent his pet dog into the river to help.
The dog reached her first and dragged her back towards Ebeling who then grabbed on and pulled her back to shore. She was taken to hospital and is expected to survive.
"Cst. 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 Prince George RCMP Supt. Warren Brown.
"Because of Cst. 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."
Two off-duty 911 dispatchers had called RCMP to the scene near the Cameron Street Bridge just before 10:30 a.m.
Officers were able to solicit the the help of a boat operator and began searching from the water. Within a few more minutes, and with help from the dispatchers, she was found floating about 700 metres from the bridge.
