Christopher E. Porter helped to save Jerome Soch and Mark Terborg from drowning, Ear Falls, Ontario, June 14, 1994. Soch, 56, and Terborg, 38, were thrown into Pakwash Lake when their boat overturned in the rough water. Porter, 34, a pilot for the province’s ministry of natural resources, was flying a light helicopter over the lake when he saw the accident. Deciding to effect the men’s rescue, Porter landed nearby to discharge some of his passengers, then returned to the scene, accompanied by a senior fire officer and another employee of the ministry. Porter maneuvered the helicopter to hover just above the overturned and pitching boat, to which the victims clung. Although it was a blustery day, he maintained the craft’s position as the fire officer stepped onto one of the helicopter’s skids, reached down, and attempted to pull Soch aboard. When Soch fell back into the water, the fire officer left the helicopter and, from atop the overturned boat, again attempted to remove Soch from the lake. The boat flipped over, throwing the fire officer into the water. Porter repositioned the helicopter above the boat, enabling the fire officer to aid Soch, then Terborg, aboard. When the fire officer then boarded the helicopter, Porter flew Soch and Terborg to their camp, where they received treatment.
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