In one of the most emotional moments of the night, part-time firefighter Steve was reunited with the teenager he saved after risking his own life by diving to the bottom of an icy river.
Thirteen-year-old Kacper Krauze had been submerged for more than 20 minutes after the icy water sent him into shock as he tried to swim across the River Eden in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria.
Unable to dive down and reach him, Steve took off his flotation equipment and helmet so he could bring the boy to the surface.
“Thank you, for so much,” said Kacper, as he and Steve held their hands together up in the air.
Just as grateful was his emotional mum, Violet, who said: “It was a terrible day for me. My heart was broken. He is my treasure, my son.”
Joined on stage by This Morning’s Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, 53-year-old Steve said: “It’s just a job you love doing. You train regularly with a bunch of like-minded people. You come together and gel really well.”
Another surprise was in store when Sir Rod Stewart and wife Penny Lancaster came on stage to present Steve with his award.
Afterwards, he said: “It’s just so humbling, a privilege to be among such lovely people. Sometimes you just don’t feel worthy. It’s such
a great honour.”
Holly said: “With the pandemic we realised just how incredible the emergency services and the NHS were, and this is a perfect opportunity to have the unsung heroes of other emergency services celebrated.”
And Penny Lancaster, who works as a special constable in central London, revealed why Steve’s actions were so heroic.
She explained: “Working in the City of London, one of our tasks each evening is to walk along the bridges, to watch out for people who might be in a bad place in their lives.
“But we’re also told to not go in after anyone under any circumstances. That’s how incredible what Steve did was. He went against protocol and took off his own safety gear to rescue the boy.”
