ATLANTA — An Atlanta Fire Rescue captain and Atlanta Police officer are being thanked for their bravery in rescuing a man from a vehicle during flooding that swept through part of the city last Thursday.
On that day, as calls were coming in from across the city, APD Officer Rayando Bryan came across major flooding on Peachtree Street, near the city's public safety headquarters.
Caught in the road was a sedan, which Bryan said was partially submerged in water.
The vehicle's driver, Bernard Johnson later described water rising up to his shoulder blades and being unable to open any of his doors.
"I had a canister. I'm trying to smash the windows in," he said. "That wouldn't work, so now I'm starting to panic."
Already attempting to rescue the man inside was Atlanta Fire Captain Terrance Simon.
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"You really have to know what you're doing," remarked Simon on Monday during a press conference. "Fortunately for me and Officer Bryan, we train really well here in Atlanta, so when it's time to go into action, our training really kicks in."
Later, Bryan touched on the same idea saying "I know we always 'another day on the job' but we can safely say that because of our training."
Atlanta Police said the water was so deep that the car had to be lifted from the ground and the doors of the vehicle would not even open.
Stepping in to help, Bryan took to the water and used his baton to break the driver-side window. Once the glass was shattered, both Simon and Bryan could pull the man outside to safety.
During a press conference on Monday, both men noted how time was of the essence during their rescue with Simon explaining that things could take a turn "in a second," as water began to rise.
However, both men remain fairly humble about the experience, saying they don't think of themselves as heroes.
"We train for this, this is what we do," they both chuckled.
Eventually, Simon responded "God is the only hero to me. We're angels doing God's work."
In a statement, the city said:
We are extremely proud or the actions of Atlanta Fire Rescue Captain Terrance Simon and Atlanta Police Officer Rayando Bryan . Their response to this critical incident is yet another example of the commitment our city has made to ensure competent, well prepared, well trained first responders are available when needed.