TORONTO, Ont. — Shawn Berube of St. Paul, Alta. has been named the 2006 Bridgestone Firestone Canadian Truck Hero for saving the life of a man trapped in his rig as it was engulfed in flames.

Berube is the 50th trucker to be recognized as part of the program, which rewards a Canadian trucker who demonstrates an act of heroism while on the job. Courage, quick thinking and integrity in the face of an emergency are attributes shared by all Bridgestone Firestone Truck Heroes.

Berube qualified for the award thanks to his actions on March 31, 2006. He was using a pay phone in Michipicoten, Ont. when he smelled smoke.

“I smelled smoke, and at first I thought it was coming from the fireplace at the nearby restaurant,” he recalls. “But then I could see the smoke coming from the window of a transport truck parked in the lot between two buildings.”

Berube ran to the truck and pulled the driver from the passenger’s side, where he had bunked for the night. The driver, Bernard Bublish of Saskatoon, Sask. was disoriented from the smoke and covered in soot when Berube pulled him to safety. Shortly after Bublish was removed from the truck, it erupted in flames. Bublish recovered from the incident.

“When truckers are on the road across this vast country, they never know when circumstances and situations might arise where they are required to lend a helping hand, render a service, or perform a heroic deed,” said David Scheklesky, general manager, commercial truck tires, for Bridgestone Firestone. “For Shawn Berube, what had been a routine evening quickly became a rescue operation in which he, literally, exhibited courage under fire.”

Berube was presented with a $3,000 cheque for his actions.