Working as a first responder, you never know what your day might bring. That was the exact scenario Lockport Police and Fire Departments faced in June 2023, when a tour boat overturned.

"It was basically kind of a boring morning," said Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano.

June 12, 2023, was a rainy Monday.

"City of Lockport requested to the Lockport Caves, 5 Gooding Street. Report of a boat that’s capsized," was the audio of a call that came through.

It was an unusual call.

"The initial thought was, 'Did one of the tour boats that go up and down the canal all day long during the season, was that the boat that was having the problem,'" recalled Quagliano.

It didn’t take long to realize this was a rescue from inside the cave.

"There's not necessarily a specific class on that one," said Quagliano.

In that situation, first responders did what they were trained to do.

"It's managed chaos," said Lockport Police Chief Steven Abbott. "You're trying to figure out where it's at, what exactly happened, how many individuals are involved, what are the resources we need?"

Chiefs Quagliano and Abbott led their teams down to the site.

"Somebody was pointing to the wall saying, 'you need to go in through here, you need to go through here,' and like it's a wall," Abbott recalled.

Abbott took a sledgehammer into his own hands to create a big enough hole for some responders to squeeze through.

"You go from thinking there's a capsized boat on the water on the canal to basically an encapsulated area with not much wiggle room to move...it certainly changes the dynamics," said Abbott.

Fire crews were hard at work too.

"This is where our crews set up our inflatable rescue craft, got into their water suits, and actually got on the water," said Quagliano, standing by stairs along the canal.

A total of 29 people were stranded.

"There was definitely some relief on their faces when they saw us coming down the waterway," said Quagliano.

"All you could do is reassure. You'll be ok, we got you, you know, we'll take care of you," added Abbott.

The evacuation was done within an hour, with only one person coming down with hypothermia.

"Our own officer, John Higgins, who was the first one in through the wall," said Abbott. "He was in there for the entire duration."

They were unfortunately too late for one passenger, 65-year-old Harshad Shah.

"You always feel the loss for the family that was involved in the incident," said Quagliano.

"It was a tragic loss of life," added Abbott. "But everybody performed the best they could. You try at the end of the day to try and save as many lives as possible."

With around 50 to 75 people helping that day, from the city to the county, they’ll tell you they don't think they did anything special.

"We took on the responsibility of these jobs for a reason and it's what we're passionate about," said Quagliano.

It's something they’ll keep doing every day.

"It's not about awards or accolades," said Abbott. "It's about the men and women that work in law enforcement and work in the fire service."

That’s why the Lockport Police and Fire Departments are your 2023 Lifeline Red Cross Real Heroes.