I came across this article today from almost a year ago and loved the photos that accompanied. It clearly showed the firefighters in control of this situation and then in a single ACTION, saved the life of a clearly distraught man. The photos tell the whole story... imagine being a part of a department that doesn't have the time, money or desire to train? The outcome of this could have been very, very different. I'm not sure anything else needs to be said, the article and especially pictures speak volumes!!

Hero firefighter catches suicide jumper
Last updated at 13:09pm on 24th April 2007

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Below are the dramatic moments when firefighters rescued a man as he tried to commit suicide by throwing himself off the Millennium Bridge.

More than 100 people gathered on the banks of the Thames to watch the two-hour ordeal as police tried to talk the man back from the edge.

Firefighter Khalid Obadele grabs the man and rolls him off the edge of the Millenium Bridge

But when the man, described as Middle-Eastern and in his thirties, refused to climb down he was grabbed by firefighter Khalid Obadele.

Mr Obadele was tied to the would-be jumper with a safety rope and the pair were lowered off the bridge and on to a fireboat below.

Mission accomplished as the rescued man is lowered to safety

One witness said: "The man was screaming 'London is s**t' and waving for the firefighter to get back.

"But the firefighter didn’t panic. He went straight out to him and pinned him down. He wrapped his legs round the man and rolled him off the bridge. It was quite a move ... The firefighter was a bit of a hero."

Mr Obadele, who is based at Euston, said: "We had to talk to him all the while to make sure it was okay to go out and secure him. It was quite hairy."

The alarm was raised at 2.44pm yesterday when the man climbed over the safety rails and on to the bridge’s edge. Witnesses said he was shouting and screaming. A team of 16 firefighters, plus police and paramedics, were at the scene within minutes.

One City worker who watched from the side of the Thames said: "The firefighter was very cool and did his job. There was a cheer from the crowd as he was rescued."

The rescued man has since been arrested for immigration offences.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=450371&in_page_id=1770&ito=1490
Here's the article with the picture!