Bridge rescue firemen wins bravery award

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Khalid Obadele climbed off the Millennium Bridge helped by colleague Robert Pope and edged himself out over the river towards the man, who had clambered over safety rails and was threatening to leap to his death.

As the man waved him back, Mr Obadele, who was wearing a safety harness, wrapped his legs round him, strapped him to his own body, and rolled him off the bridge edge, lowering him to a waiting fireboat.

Mr Obadele was backed up by a team of 16 firefighters from Euston as well as police and paramedics. A crowd of tourists and City workers who witnessed the rescue cheered as he was winched to safety.

The 47-year-old was named England's bravest firefighter in The Spirit of Fire Awards run by the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund charity.

Mr Obadele said: "It hasn't made any difference to my life. It's my job. But my mum has got all these newspaper clippings on the wall. It's kind of embarrassing going into her house." Mr Obadele has been with the fire rescue team at the station in Euston Road for 18 years. He said of last April's incident: "The man was about 70 feet up and was saying he was going to jump. We were determined to save his life. He wasn't going to jump, not with us there."

He narrowly missed out on being named Britain's bravest firefighter. That award went to Tam Brown, of Tayside Fire Rescue Service in Scotland, who pulled a drowning woman from a raging river.

Mr Obadele said: "I wasn't disappointed. I didn't fancy going on stage so when the man's name was read out, I was pleased.

"He jumped into a river where a young lady was drowning. They didn't have enough people there but he decided to go in anyway."