CHIEF fire officer Lee Howell, left, hands the commendation to Cheryl Jenkins.
A FIRE control operator from Wellington who helped save the lives of a mother and daughter trapped in severe flooding has been honoured.
Cheryl Jenkins was awarded a Chief Fire Officer Commendation for her cool-headedness on October 11, 2012.
A mother and her 13-year-old daughter had become trapped when the car they were travelling in entered deep floor water at Beaworthy, Devon.
The car was carried along by the water until it collided with a tree and the only option was for them to climb out through the sun roof and then grab on to the tree when the car started to move.
It was Cheryl's job to speak to the distressed family, calm them down, give advice and get vital location detail to direct rescue crews.
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