Firefighter’s award for moors rescue
A brave Scarborough-based firefighter has won North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Public Choice Award.
This year’s award was presented to Simon Cossins, temporary watch manager at Scarborough Fire Station, by North
Yorkshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe.
The annual award recognises the courage, compassion and incredible service of teams and individuals from across North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Mr Cossins was nominated for the award after rescuing a couple who were being trampled by cows in a remote location on the North York Moors in 2021. Two adults in their mid-50s were walking with their two dogs through a field of cows in a remote location on the North York Moors. Mr Cossins was walking his dog nearby and saw the couple being surrounded by cows – he tried to warn them to get out of the field after realising the cows were about to attack. Mr Cossins witnessed the man being trampled and thrown up in the air by the cows, and the woman being pinned to the fence and trampled.
One of the couple’s dogs remained at the man’s side and was uninjured, the other dog was trampled but managed to run away. Putting himself and his own dog at huge risk, he went into the field and dragged the couple away from danger over a wall. Mr Cossins looked after the two casualties for 40 minutes before the ambulance paramedics reached them.