2 West Kelowna men to be honoured for bravery during fire
Two West Kelowna men who helped a woman escape from a burning trailer will be honoured next month for their bravery.
David Hillary and Lucas Truman came to the rescue of Irene Barszczewski-Shindelka when fire broke out in her home at the Paradise trailer park last Halloween.
“She got out her window with the assistance of these two men, who truly were heroes,” says Orland DeLong of the Royal Canadian Humane Association, which annually presents the Bravery Awards.
Hillary and Truman will be among 23 British Columbians to receive the awards at a ceremony set for Oct. 6 at the Westbank Lions Community Centre. B.C. Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon will preside at the affair.
Recipients include children, teens and adults, and all were involved in saving, or attempting to save, the lives of people who’d been involved in car crashes, house fires, drownings and other medical emergencies.
The Royal Canadian Humane Association, founded in 1894, is an offshoot of the Royal Humane Association in Britain, which dates back to 1774.
Its mission, according to the organization’s website, is to “recognize such deeds of heroism by Canadians in civilian life, who, through their alertness, skill and concern, save or attempt to save a life, especially where those actions lie outside the ordinary duties of the person involved.”
In B.C., the annual awards presentation is usually held at Government House in Victoria or the Green Timbers RCMP headquarters in Surrey. This is the first time they will be held in West Kelowna.
The Paradise Park trailer fire was likely started by a candle inside a Halloween pumpkin, West Kelowna fire department said at the time.
“The intense, rapidly growing fire made escape out the front door impossible, forcing the occupant to jump to safety out a back window,” assistant fire chief Brent Watson said.