Austin Fire Department Captain David Brietzke received big honors Wednesday. American Legion Post 76 named him Firefighter of the Year.
Brietzke has been with the fire department for more 21 years. He is taking the new honor in stride. One of the major moments in his career was a dramatic life-and-death rescue on Lake Austin when two people on board a boat fell into an open gate on the Tom Miller dam.
"We were the ones who actually went in and retrieved the lady from the dangling rope and pulled her into the boat and pulled her to safety," Brietzke said.
The man in the troubled boat fell overboard, survived a 60-foot drop through the flood gate, and was found safely down river.
It was a harrowing experience, but Brietzke says it is all part of the job.
