2003 Bridgestone/Firestone Canadian Truck Heroes Announced

Bridgestone/Firestone Canada Inc. today recognized two truck drivers at the Ontario Trucking Association Convention for their bravery and quick thinking.
Clifford Ripley, of Spruce Grove, Alberta, and Paul Pelletier, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, were presented with the 2003 Bridgestone/Firestone Canadian Truck Hero Award for the rescue of Anthony Ishmael on November 14th, 2002.
Ripley and Pelletier rushed to help Ishmael when he was trapped in a burning van on Highway 17, near Wawa, Ontario. Unable to open the passenger door, Ripley grabbed a chain and attached it from his truck to the van’s door
wrenching the door open. Ripley and Pelletier worked together to cut Ishmael free from his seatbelt and pull him to safety only seconds before the vehicle burst into flames.
For nearly 50 years, the Bridgestone/Firestone Canadian Truck Hero Award has been presented annually to a professional truck driver who has shown great courage, integrity, and quick thinking in an emergency situation.
“Each year, we hear incredible and inspiring stories of life-saving bravery demonstrated by our nation’s truck drivers,” says Dave Schecklesky,director of commercial tire marketing, Bridgestone/Firestone Canada Inc. “This
year is no exception. Anthony Ishmael is alive today due to the heroic and swift actions of Clifford Ripley and Paul Pelletier.”
Mississauga based Bridgestone/Firestone Canada Inc. (BFCA) is an affiliate of Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT). The Bridgestone/Firestone Canadian Truck Hero Award Web site can be found at www.truckhero.ca