April 25, 2023
Mariners Todd Dutton and Shaun Kirkpatrick, onboard the Seaspan Tempest tugboat, weren’t expecting to save a life when they started work on July 8, 2022. It was evening when the call came in from the Coast Guard requesting help to rescue someone who was struggling in the strong current of the Fraser River.
At just 14 years old, Kimberly had jumped in after her dog who was quickly being carried away by the fast-moving water. She managed to rescue her dog and made her way to a Seaspan barge where she clung on as her family called emergency services. Delta fire crews responded quickly, but the Coast Guard was over an hour away and called Seaspan for help.
While the fire crew positioned themselves downstream with lifejackets and rope in the worst-case scenario that she drifted away from the barge, Todd and Shaun arrived aboard the Tempest and managed to successfully rescue both the teenager and her dog.
When asked to comment on the rescue, Todd and Shaun were humble and chalked it up to a mariner’s duty: “This is just part of the job; anyone would have done the same. When someone is in trouble out on the water, you answer the call.”
Because of their actions, Seaspan Marine was awarded a silver medal for merit during the 11th annual Commonwealth Awards for Honour and Rescue organized by the BC Lifesaving Society. Thank you to Todd and Shaun for responding to the call and saving Kimberly’s life on the Fraser River.