A man’s life was saved last month thanks to the brave actions and unwavering commitment from a local pilot.

RCMP says one cold evening in March, it received a 911 call from a man whose vehicle was stuck in a remote area near Fox Valley. Before the call dropped, officers heard that the vehicle was partially submerged in water and snow.

Although officers deployed the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System to sweep the area from above and searched on the ground throughout the night to find the man, they were unsuccessful.

Drawing on additional resources, Sergeant Don Kyllo, Leader RCMP Detachment commander, remembered meeting a local pilot who offered his plane if the RCMP ever needed to expand a search area. With one call, the man eagerly responded that he had been “waiting 15 years for this call,” and he took off immediately after.

Quite quickly, he was able to locate the stranded vehicle and directed officers on the ground to his whereabouts. Officers took the man back to the detachment to warm up with a cup of tea and food, with no physical injuries reported to police.