Mark Quaid coming to the aid of a distressed driver seconds before a tree crushed his own van during Storm Darwin.
And now it’s the dramatic photograph of firefighter Eli Brace diving into the raging River Shannon to save a drowning woman, that’s capturing the public imagination.
It’s been some month for Limerick’s local heroes.
The bravery of Swift Water Rescue Technician (SRT) and father-of-two Eli Brace was dramatically captured by award winning Limerick photographer Sean Curtin.
Last Saturday, the Limerick Fire and Rescue Station house in Mulgrave Street was alerted to the fact that a 21-year-old woman was in difficulty in the River Shannon. Eli Brace and his rescue team was dispatched to the scene having just returned from an apartment fire.
An army veteran with 11 years’ service in the defence forces, he transferred to the Fire and Rescue service six years ago and is fully trained in swift water rescue techniques.
Eli (pictured) and his colleagues arrived at Sarsfield Bridge just as the the Shannon-based coastguard helicopter 115 responded to the call.
However, despite his best efforts, the helicopter winch man was unable to reach the young woman.
“When we arrived, the helicopter was over her and they were making an attempt to get her out of the water, but between the wind and their rotor blades and the current, he couldn’t get to her,” Eli explained.
So he quickly assessed the situation and jumped off the bridge.
“I just hit the water and started swimming towards her. Joe Cantillion from St Michael’s boat club came past and he got to her. By the time he got his hands on her I was on her legs lifting her into the boat with him. It all happened really quick.
“There’s a lot of luck involved really. We need to get good information from whoever gives us the call and the people in 999 pass the information to us as clearly as they get it. The helicopter couldn’t get to her and she was coming towards me on the bridge, so I just jumped in. That was it.”
“All we do when we get the call is go out and do the best we can and hope we come away home out of it”, he said.
Paying tribute to the rescue crew, Chief Fire Officer Michael Ryan said that all staff of Limerick Fire and Rescue Service were amongst the most highly trained in the country.
“They carry out exercises in swift water rescue techniques and this training came to the fore at the weekend. The firefighter in question was equipped and trained to enter the water as he did. He was wearing a water rescue dry suit, personal floatation device and a helmet also specifically designed for water rescue.”
“We are busy on the river at the moment and we are hopeful of getting our own jet boat in the near future. So, when that happens, our response times will get even quicker for rescues and make things a lot safer for us as well” Mr Ryan explained.
“Sometime there isn’t time for a line and you just have to go with it – thank God he did” the Chief Fire Officer said.
In fact it’s the second time in three years that Officer Brace, who lives in Ennis, has been officially commended for his role in a river rescue having being praised for his role in another river rescue by then Mayor Gerry McLoughlin.
