Police chief witnesses brave rescue from Red River

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This article was published 20/05/2021 (1617 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Danny Smyth might command Winnipeg’s police officers, but on Thursday he was a concerned citizen who watched as officers rescued a woman from the Red River.

The police chief, whose backyard is next to the river, said a 37-year-old woman is alive because of the bravery and teamwork of his officers.

“I was an eyewitness to this rescue and experienced it both as a concerned citizen and chief of police,” he said.

The incident began when a neighbour banged on his door at 1:30 a.m.

Smyth said when he went outside he could hear the woman “clearly seemed to be in crisis and in distress.” He phoned 911 and soon police officers and firefighters arrived.

“My backyard looked like a scene from a movie for a short period of time as our members were out with flashlights frantically trying to search the riverbank to locate and spot her in the water.”

Smyth said there were two challenges: “It was very dark last night and the water is still very cold.”

He said the woman was about 15 metres offshore and was drifting northward.

“Suddenly, the woman went silent,” said Smyth. “From my perspective, I was worried the cold water and the length of time she had been in the water was sapping her strength.

“It was really a helpless feeling as I wondered if I was going to witness a drowning.”

Officers sprang into action. Four of them stripped “to their skivvies” and jumped in the river. They pulled a long rope out to the woman, tied it around her and pulled her to shore.

“I held my breath, worried about the woman in the water, and now worried about the members who swam out to save her,” he said.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I was when I saw them successfully take hold of the woman and make it back to shore safely.”

The woman was taken to hospital in stable condition.

Smyth said the officers went above and beyond the call of duty.

“I witnessed first-hand the bravery and the risks that our members were willing to take to save a life,” he said.

“I know this is not a one-off. I know our members are out there every day going above and beyond to meet the cries of help in the community. I witnessed the teamwork, the courage and the willingness to engage. It is nothing short of commendable.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca