Three Essex Police officers who courageously rescued an unconscious man and residents from a blazing block of flats have won an Essex Police Federation Bravery Award

Three Essex Police officers who courageously rescued an unconscious man and residents from a blazing block of flats have won an Essex Police Federation Bravery Award.

Temp Sgt Scott Lewis, PC Luke Salmon and PC Tomas Whelan-Bassett had to break down the door of a flat to get to the man after Temp Sgt Lewis radioed the incident in after hearing an alarm go off in the block.

Realising the danger, Temp Sgt Lewis had initially tried to break down the door during the incident in Colchester in November 2019, but the person inside the flat appeared to have barricaded himself in.

Having to take gasping breaths of air to combat the now rising smoke, Temp Sgt Lewis eventually managed to smash down the door and was joined by PCs Whelan-Bassett and PC Salmon.

As the officers tried to locate the person inside the flat, they were constantly battling against the choking smoke and poor visibility. Incredibly, they managed to find the man who was slumped unconscious on the lounge sofa.

The officers bundled the man up before carrying him down three floors and into the outside area of the block of flats.

PCs Salmon and Whelan-Bassett then carried out emergency CPR on the man while Temp Sgt Lewis bravely went back into the blazing building to rescue and evacuate more residents.

Thanks to their courage, the man and all the other residents of the flats escaped without injury.

All three officers were treated for smoke inhalation but were back on duty the following night.

PC Salmon said the smoke had been so thick they could barely see their hands in front of them during their search.

“We found the unconscious man on the sofa despite not even being able to see our hands, and so between us, we managed to pick him up, take him out of the flat and take him down three flights of stairs,” he said.

“Once outside, we started medical treatment, and it was obvious that he was not breathing, so we commenced CPR. Within about seven or eight compressions, he came round but started becoming violent towards myself and PC Bassett and accused us of assaulting him.

“I didn’t think twice about not going in. There was certainly no sign of the fire service there, and Temp Sgt Lewis had taken a good five minutes to get in, so we didn’t have any choice but/not to go in.

“You don’t think twice until you’re sitting in the back of the ambulance, breathing in oxygen.

“It’s nice to feel our actions have merited an Award. I’m extremely proud to have been nominated. But I think anyone, I’d like to think, would have done it.”

Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie said the tremendous trio were all worthy winners of a Federation Bravery Award.

“What great work from Scott, Luke and Tomas,” said Laura. “They simply were not going to let anyone get hurt by this fire and were absolutely determined to get into this flat and get this man to safety.

“The smoke was incredibly thick and choking, and the situation was extremely challenging, but in the best tradition of Essex Police officers, they ran towards the danger and made sure everyone was safe.

“Once again it illustrates how police officers are much more than crime fighters. We are very proud of this tremendous trio and their work in this incident.”

PC Salmon, PC Whelan-Bassett and Temp Sgt Lewis will attend the Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards on 26 May where an overall winner will be announced.

The Awards are in Association with Uniform Mortgages. The hashtag for the event is #EssexFedBravery.