Five months ago an elderly man and his two dogs were rescued from after fire broke out at their home in St Augustine.
Today, their hero Kendal Ramkissoon, a Coast Guard officer, was honoured for his bravery at the Mayaro Rio Claro Regional Corporation.
He is one of three burgesses awarded citations and medallions for their act of gallantry.
The other two awardees are retired police sergeants Rabindranath Dookie and Richards Knights who captured an assailant after he robbed a supermarket in Rio Claro in March.
Recalling the incident on May 16, Ramkissoon, a resident of Mayaro, said he was heading home when he was alerted that a house was on fire.
He threw the two dogs that were in the yard over the wall and then ran into the house where they found a 74-year-old man on his bed.
The entire house was destroyed. While expressing his gratitude to the corporation, Ramkissoon said, “This is to not something alien to me, numerous times I have assisted people, save people lives. I never look for a thank you because I do it because it is my job and it is the right thing to do. It is just who I am as a person.”
However, he said it was nice to be appreciated, especially at this time when the protective services and the public don’t get along.”
Rio Claro residents Dookie and Knight each served in the Police Service for 30 years.
On March 6, an assailant robbed Flourishing supermarket in Rio Claro.
The retired officers ran after the assailant and eventually caught him.
The chase covered a distance of 1000 metres.
The assailant was found with a knife and an undisclosed sum of money that was stolen from the business place. “Since then, Rio Claro has not had another incident of a similar nature,” said Corporation chairman Raymond Cozier.
Commending the men for their bravery, Cozier said in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic people must not surrender their humility, compassion and purpose in reaching out to their fellow men.
