Two daring water rescues brought recognition as heroes to two metro area firefighters, as Firefighter Magazine honored Denver firefighter Chad Cranmer and Golden volunteer firefighter Doug Holschbach this week.
Cranmer pulled a mother from roiling floodwaters in Lakewood Gulch on May 14, 2007, then dived back in to search for the woman’s 2-year-old son.
The child was swept down river and later found dead.
Elsha Guel and her son had taken cover from a pounding hailstorm in a drainage culvert, before the floodwaters separated them.
A rescue ladder reached Guel, but she was swept away before she could reach it. Cranmer dove in and rescued her 200 feet away the rough current.
Golden volunteer firefighter Doug Holschbach received Firehouse Magazine’s Heroism and Community Service Award for saving a 16-year-old from drowning in Clear Creek in July 2007.
The boy had been reported lost in the swollen creek. Holschbach was riding a bicycle to help search when he spotted the boy unconscious in the swift current.
He jumped in, pulled the boy to shore and began resuscitation until other rescuers arrived, likely saving the boy’s life, the magazine said.
“Doug’s actions are an example of going above and beyond in a situation where a life is on the line,” said Golden Fire Chief John Bales, who nominated Holschbach for the award.
Holschbach already received the Golden Fire Department’s medal of honor, as well as an award from the Aurora Fire Department, where he works.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
