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Jacquet River - For the second time in about six months, a local RCMP officer is being hailed as a hero.

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Cpl. Dan Melanson is being hailed as a hero for saving a man from drowning in Jacquet River on May 3.

Cpl. Daniel Melanson of the Belledune RCMP jumped into action when he responded to a 911 call of a boater in trouble. Around 2:10 p.m. on May 3, Melanson was nearing the end of his shift at the Belledune detachment when the call came in that a canoe with two men had overturned in the frigid waters of the Bay of Chaleur near Gagnon Rd.

Melanson was the only member on duty at the time and was on the scene in a matter of seconds.

"The scene of the accident is actually quite near the detachment, about two minutes away, and I got there quite quickly," he said.

He said when he got there he saw boat about 30 metres (100 feet) offshore.

"I saw a canoe upside down and a few feet away from it I saw a man completely submerged with only his hands above the water holding onto the side."

Melanson said there were a few bystanders watching the scene unfold. One told him that the man had been in the water for about 15 minutes before his arrival.

"One person tried to help out but the water was very cold. I hesitated to go in because I thought he was already dead and I didn't want to take the chance that someone else would end up dead."

The air temperature was about 13 degrees Celsius but the water temperature at the time was about 3 degrees Celsius (less than 40 Fahrenheit).

Melanson said when he saw the man's head come out of the water, he knew he was still alive and needed help.

"I took off my belt and vest and ran in his direction."

He said that being tall (6'4") he could get most of the way out to the man before he had to swim.

"I didn't have to swim that far but if I had to swim all the way out to him I'm not sure we would have made it back to shore...the water was really cold. I can swim but I'm not that great a swimmer."

He said when he got to the man he was having a lot of difficulties, going in and out of consciousness. He had to hold his head up as he slowly made his way back to shore.

"When we got to shore the ambulance was there and they took over. His eyes were open but he wasn't responding when we spoke to him. He was clearly suffering from hypothermia."

Melanson said the whole thing was over in a matter of minutes.

"I went back to my patrol car and turned the heat on high and went back home to Campbellton where my wife looked after me," he joked.

The man Melanson rescued is 45-year-old Benjamin River resident Glenn Moore. It is believed Moore was not wearing a lifejacket and was a non-swimmer.

"The other man in the boat knew how to swim and tried to help his friend but couldn't," said Melanson of Terry Lapointe.

In eight years on the force, Melanson has never had the occasion to directly save someone's life. He wants people to take this near-drowning as an opportunity to remember to wear their lifejackets.

The most recent event caps off an up and down last six months for Melanson.

He was called to scene of an accident outside Bathurst Jan. 12, in which eight people were killed when the van in which they were travelling was broadsided by an oncoming tractor trailer.

On Oct. 23, 2007, it was Melanson who first noted a suspicious van on Route 11 as he was returning home. He radioed dispatch to let other members know of the suspicious vehicle. The next day the same van was spotted in Campbellton and by the end of the day, one of America's Most Wanted, Richard Lee McNair, was in custody at the Campbellton detachment.

While Melanson was not involved in the actual takedown, he was honoured for having noticed the van the day before. Had he not called the van's plate and description into dispatch, McNair might still be on the loose.

"Cpl. Dan Melanson is the ‘off duty' member who first saw Richard Lee McNair's vehicle and reported it to his co-workers. I note this because it speaks to his dedication and commitment to Community Policing in his detachment of Belledune and indeed all of District 9," said Insp. Roland Wells, the commanding officer for the Restigouche-Chaleur RCMP.

"His actions in this instance were nothing short of life altering. It takes a special kind of person to risk their life to save another and I am very proud to say without hesitation that Restigouche-Chaleur is served by many such officers. There are always times when we are criticized and sometimes this is well deserved but what is important to note is that each of us has taken an oath to preserve life and I am proud to see a shining example of this."