Police officers helped save man who jumped from Bank Street bridge

PS Bryony Birt and PC Jack Shaw responded to an emergency call to go to the incident in the town centre at just after 1am on October 7 last year.

And after 10 minutes of searching, they found the man had been swept downstream by the current.

A female friend was trying to get him out but she was in trouble with the fast flowing current and PS Birt had to help her out of the river before going back into it to reach the man, who was by this time fully submerged and not moving.

PS Birt managed to lift him far enough out of the water to enable him to breathe and PC Shaw then joined her and between them they managed to lift him on to the steep river bank.

The man was not breathing and PC Shaw began administering cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while PS Birt tried to clear his airways and mouth of debris from the river.

Paramedics arrived and fought with the two officers to try and bring the man back from the brink of death and ultimately the treatment succeeded.

The man was taken to hospital where, despite his heart stopping and serious injuries to his legs, he went on to recover from the ordeal.

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Bank Street bridge in Bolton (Image: Newsquest)

Bank Street bridge in Bolton (Image: Newsquest)

The Royal Humane Society secretary Andrew Chapman (Image: Supplied)

Now the two officers have been awarded top national life-saving honours, Royal Humane Society Testimonials on Parchment and Resuscitation Certificates.

They have also been praised by Andrew Chapman, secretary of the society.

“The man is lucky to be alive after what happened,” he said.

“Thankfully the two officers got to the scene in time, managed to get him back on to dry land and then began the fight to resuscitate him, later working with the paramedics.

“They did a wonderful job and as a result the man, though seriously injured went on to survive.

"The two officers richly deserve the awards they are to receive.

“This is another of many cases we see which emphasise the value of as many people as possible, not just members of the emergency services, learning how to administer CPR.

"It can, as it did here, make the difference between life and death.”

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The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back nearly 250 years.

Other than awards made by the Crown it is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life.

It was founded in 1774 by two of the day's eminent medical men, William Hawes and Thomas Cogan. Their primary motive was to promote techniques of resuscitation.

However, as it emerged that numerous people were prepared to put their own lives at risk to save others, the awards scheme evolved, and today a variety of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.

The society also awards non health care professionals who perform a successful resuscitation.

Since it was set up, the society has considered over 90,000 cases and made over 220,000 awards.

The society is a registered charity which receives no public funding and is dependent on voluntary donations.