Three men from a restaurant and bar on Wearside have been called heroes after they jumped into action and saved the life of a man who was in distress in the River Wear.

Tyler Wemyss, Matthew Cadas, and Kieron Hughes from the Fiume Restaurant at The River Bar in Fatfield have all been commended for their dramatic rescue on June 24 when they used a throwbag to save a man's life.

The venue had luckily received throw-line training from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) and the RNLI as part of the Waterside Responder Scheme, so were able to correctly deploy the line that had been installed at the bar.

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The Northern Echo: Firefighter Tommy Richardson of TWFRS, Chef Tyler Wemyss, General Manager Mark Halliday, patron Matthew Cadas and Tony Wafer, Senior Water Safety Manager, RNLI.Firefighter Tommy Richardson of TWFRS, Chef Tyler Wemyss, General Manager Mark Halliday, patron Matthew Cadas and Tony Wafer, Senior Water Safety Manager, RNLI. (Image: TYNE AND WEAR FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE)

Tyler, Matthew and Kieron then worked together to deploy the line and safely brought the man to the side of the riverbank who was luckily uninjured.

Tyler, who was the first to raise the alarm, described the shocking moment he saw the man struggling in the water.

He said: “I heard a woman crying on the other side of the road and this was quickly followed by a male voice screaming for help! Without hesitation, I ran over to the lady and asked ‘has somebody fallen into the river’?

“Other members of staff dashed into the River Bar and got the throwbag from behind the bar, which was then thrown into the water to help the guy stay afloat.

“I thankfully felt in control of the situation. My partner helped to calm the lady down whilst I assessed the man who’d fallen into the river.”

Matthew, who formerly worked at the venue and was at the bar as a customer that night assisted his former colleagues with the rescue.

Matthew said: “My emotions after the incident was that of pride and relief. I was over the moon that the lad was safe.

“It just shows you the importance of the throwbags as another person has now been saved from drowning, and can go back to living their life.”

Following their fast thinking, the trio have been praised by bosses including Steve Thomas, Head of Prevention and Education at TWFRS who emphasised the importance of the scheme.

He said: “It’s wonderful to think that friends and family of people rescued using the throwbags are able to spend more precious time with their loved ones because of an intervention using essential water safety training and equipment.

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“We are proud of the Waterside Responder Scheme and our ongoing partnership with the RNLI that continues to go from strength to strength; helping to train staff from riverside located businesses, and as a result, continuing to save people’s lives.”

This latest rescue comes as emergency services across the world mark World Drowning Prevention Day today (July 25), emphasising the importance of water safety.

The campaign adopts the tagline: “Anyone can drown, no one should”, with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service marking the day by emphasising the importance of the Waterside Responder Scheme – which has already saved eight lives.