Lake Country deputy fire chief Brent Penner was awarded a Bronze Medal for Bravery from the Royal Canadian Humane Association in 2014 for his actions on Dec. 19, 2012 in attempting to rescue a woman from a submerged vehicle on Wood Lake.
On that cold day in December 2012, several witnesses and emergency personnel attempted to rescue a driver from her vehicle which was submerged about eight feet under the water of Wood Lake.
The vehicle had left the highway and plunged into Wood Lake approximately 15 feet from the shore on Wood Lake near Ponderosa Road.
With the assistance of various motorists, police and fire personnel the driver was removed and rushed by ambulance to the hospital, but could not be resuscitated. A number of the rescuers were treated for hypothermia and Highway 97 was closed for several hours as a result of the single vehicle fatal accident.
“I’m very honoured to receive this award,” said Penner. “Everyone involved worked so hard in the rescue trying to achieve a successful outcome. I was most impressed by the valiant efforts of passing motorists that stopped to help, with little regard for their own safety.”
The Honourable Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and Patron of the Royal Canadian Humane Association presented the award to Penner, along with other BC bravery award recipients at an Investiture Ceremony at RCMP Headquarters in Surrey, BC May 6, 2014.
