Sarnia firefighters will be able to utilize a new training manikin after a photo taken by one of their own won an international photo contest.
Public Education Officer Mike Otis captured the award-winning shot during a live fire training exercise at the Lambton College burn tower last year.
"We were the only entry from all of Canada and we got amazing support from the Sarnia community and beyond," he said. "We won quite handily, to be honest. It's great, something we're going to use all of the time and we're proud to have won."
Otis said the photo was submitted to Ruth Lee’s Photo of the Year contest after the service was approached about how great the picture was. Ruth Lee, a manikin and training aid provider, is based in Wales, U.K.
“Their dramatic and emotionally charged image, shared with us back in September, captured the hearts of our followers," read a post from Ruth Lee. "The photo depicts a powerful moment as a firefighter performs a child rescue during training. It’s a striking testament to the bravery and commitment of rescue professionals, and it exemplifies the essence of realistic and impactful training.”
By winning the contest, the Sarnia service could pick any manikin as a prize. The one they chose is worth over $1,800 and will be used for rope and high-angle rescue training.
"We have different types of manikins for different training scenarios. Ones we use in fires, we have water rescue mannequins, and now we have this working from heights manikin as a result of winning this international photo contest," said Otis.
ALG Safety Inc., the Canadian distributor of Ruth Lee products, delivered the manikin to Station 1 on East Street on January 23.