Headlines News
Calgary Firefighters pull comrade from blaze

Aug. 19, 2008, Calgary, Alta. – A Calgary firefighter who was knocked unconscious while
searching a burning home is expected to make a full recovery after
being carried to safety by his comrades.

Kevin Boyd, 39, was with a crew looking for a possible missing
person in a home in Chestermere, east of Calgary, on Thursday when he
was struck by what is thought to be a large chunk of soggy drywall.

It happened just as fireman Allan Tillotson was arranging to get all the firefighters out of the burning home.

''I know this sounds hokey but my spider senses were going off and
I've learned to trust that on the job,'' Tillotson said Friday.

''You start to get an uneasy feeling and you're not sure why . . . but I definitely knew we had to get out.''

Seconds after Boyd was knocked down face-first, Chestermere
firefighter Brett Leeman and Calgary firefighter Jadon Nakrieko were at
his side.

The two men, led by Tillotson, carried Boyd out of the burning home.

''It could have as easily been him carrying one of us out,'' Nakrieko said.

Boyd remained in hospital Friday with a possible crushed vertebra.

Firefighters later learned that no one was inside the home.

Firefighters across Canada on Friday were also mourning the loss of
Bob Leek, a Toronto firefighter who was one of two people who died
during a massive propane depot fire on Sunday that forced 12,000 people
from their homes.

Crews in Calgary said incidents like the one that injured Boyd
highlight the danger often present on the job, but said it is also a
comforting reminder they all share a common bond and willingness to
back one another.