'We were desperate to get in' - Officers praised for flat fire rescue

Three members of Colchester’s Local Policing Team carried the casualty down three flights of stairs before working to resuscitate him.

PC Luke Salmon, who is now a dog handler, said: “I just felt calmness and desperation to get in. You don’t think twice about it at the time.”

After the daring rescue in November 2019, PC Salmon and colleagues PC Scott Dynevor Mead Lewis and PC Tom Whelan-Bassett have received commendations from Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington.

PC Salmon said: “It’s very overwhelming to be recognised.

“I didn’t expect it – it’s just part of the job, but for the chief to go out of his way to recognise our actions makes me feel very proud.”

Award - PC Luke Salmon with Chief Constable BJ Harrington

PC Lewis was the first to react after he heard an alarm going off at a block of flats.

PC Whelan-Bassett and PC Salmon arrived in support, with PC Lewis managing to break down the door while other residents were evacuated.

When PC Lewis began to struggle to breathe, his colleagues entered the flat and found the unconscious man on a sofa.

They carried him down three flights of stairs before performing CPR until fire crews and the ambulance service arrived. The casualty was taken to hospital and made a full recovery.

The three officers were treated for smoke inhalation, but were back on duty the following night.

PC Lewis said: “It’s an honour to be recognised for something which, to us, is an everyday part of our job. It’s why we joined the police, to go to big incidents and save people’s lives.

“We’ve been recognised for it but, ultimately, it was a team effort.”

PC Whelan-Bassett added: “You don’t actually think – you just go in.

“I think anyone in our position would have done it but we were just the first on the scene. We got up the stairs quite quickly, knocked the door in and just went in.

“Then we did a quick sweep of the flat and found an unconscious man. Thankfully we managed to get him out safely.”

PC Con Bowen was also recognised for his life-saving actions in resuscitating a man who had suffered a cardiac arrest in April last year.

He was travelling to a meeting in Clacton when he saw a car which had crashed into a wall.

PC Bowen found the elderly driver was conscious but not responding.

He called for emergency assistance, but within a couple of minutes, the man stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest.

Despite having no personal protective equipment, the officer disregarded his own safety and carried out mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until paramedics arrived.

Hospital doctors later said PC Bowen’s emergency first aid saved the man’s life.

PC Bowen said: “I didn’t have protective equipment but I thought if that was my dad or my grandfather, I’d want someone to save them.”