A Maple Ridge man will be receiving an award for bravery after he pulled a woman from the cold, choppy waters of the Fraser River in November.
For his bravery and quick thinking that day, Delbert Soles will be receiving the Silver Medal for Bravery at the 113th Annual Commonwealth Awards for Honour and Rescue on Saturday, March 29 from the Lifesaving Society of BC and Yukon.
Sitting along the Port Haney Wharf on Nov. 4 last year, Soles was all set to enjoy his lunch while on a break from work, when screams pierced the air and he realized someone was in trouble.
Soles was sitting on his truck, unpacking his lunch when he heard someone screaming that their family member was in the water and drowning.
He rushed onto the wharf and saw the woman floating face-down and unresponsive in the river, about 12 metres from the shore.
Even though he was not a strong swimmer, Soles ran down to the riverbank, through blackberry bushes that ripped at his skin, and jumped into the cold water.
“I did not think I was saving someone’s life," Soles told The News, thinking back to the day. "I thought after 13 minutes in the water, I thought she was gone,” he said.
However, he managed to wrap his arms around the woman and was able to pull her out of the water back along the rocky shore.
Firefighters and paramedics had, by then, arrived on the scene and carried the unresponsive woman over the train tracks before providing CPR.
Paramedics then transported the woman to hospital.
The cold of the water didn’t matter to Soles, until he was out of the water.
“There were three foot rollers coming across there,” he said about how choppy the waters were that day. “It was brutal.”
“My lips were blue and my teeth were chattering when I was done,” he added.
Following that day, Soles said he had difficulty sleeping, and lost his job because of the stress he was feeling.
About a month ago he finally found out the woman survived.
The Ridge Meadows RCMP gave Soles a commendation and medal for his act of heroism that day.
And now Soles is one of numerous courageous individuals who will be honoured at the Lifesaving Society of BC and Yukon awards ceremony for their bravery in a water-related emergency.
Other honourees will include: Angela and Jordyn Eaves, Don Coulombe, and Robb Wilson, who collectively saved a capsized boater’s life off Vancouver Island; Lily Kennedy and Jeff Skillen whose swift actions rescued siblings who had fallen through the ice on Beaver Lake; Alison Ambroso and Rosy Hartman who drew on their lifeguard training and showcased remarkable bravery and teamwork at Langford Lake; Kyle Boudreau, Derek Martin,
and Jacqueline Snow who worked together to rescue a family from drowning in Osoyoos Lake; Robert Griffith who saved two swimmers from drowning in a powerful current, on the Thompson River in Kamloops; Trip Larson who used his Bronze Medallion skills to help a young woman struggling at Cayuse Creek; Marcio Tatagiba who used his Bronze Cross skills to rescue a jet ski accident victim in rocky water near Second Beach in Vancouver; and Neal Turnbull who rescued an 11-year-old boy from a pool in California.
B.C. Premier David Eby will be in attendance at the awards ceremony, in addition to the Commissioner of Yukon, Adeline Webber, being held at the Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver. They will be speaking on the critical importance of water safety and drowning prevention, before presenting the awards.
Honour awards will be handed out to commend the dedicated service of the society’s volunteers. Rescue Awards will recognize individuals who have demonstrated outstanding courage in aiding those in distress during a water-related emergency.
