HALIFAX—Firefighters from across Halifax are feeling both pain and pride about the tragic death of Sam London.

The pain is for the loss of a fellow firefighter, who died in a tragic drowning incident this week at the popular Drysdale Falls near Tatamagouche.

The pride is for how he jumped in to to save his son who had gotten stuck in a whirlpool while swimming with his family.

“For all the hurt involved, we’re incredibly proud of Sam,” Joe Triff, vice-president of Halifax Professional Firefighters Association, said in an interview Friday. “Everyone likes to think they’d be willing to do the same thing in the same situation, and Sam proved to be the selfless individual we knew him to be.”

Just after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, RCMP responded to a call about a man who had drowned at Drysdale Falls.

London, a 38-year-old from Three Fathom Harbour on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, had been swimming with his wife and three children when he went under the surface and did not come back up.

A family member tried to rescue him but was unable to help, police said.

“The family was swimming in the falls and one family member got stuck in a whirlpool. Sam jumped in to successfully rescue his son, but was instead swept into the undercurrent himself,” according to a GoFundMe page set up for London’s family. “His family, colleagues, friends and community are in shock. Everyone who knew Sam is in disbelief at this devastating loss.”

Triff was in his 15th year as a professional firefighter, and was stationed in Westphal. Prior to 2004, he worked as a volunteer firefighter in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

“Shocked, devastated,” are the words Triff used to describe London’s death. “There are a lot of people that knew Sam really well. He was well liked, well respected. Everybody knows how involved he was with his family, his kids, his community. We’re just at a loss for words right now.”

Triff said a funeral for London is expected on Monday, and based on family wishes, it could include an honour guard, a firefighters’ pipe and drum band and many of his fellow colleagues from the across the city.

“We’re about 500 members, most of us know one another,” Triff said about the firefighters union. “You get to know everyone really well. It’s a tight-knit community. And not just here, but the Maritimes.”

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According to the GoFundMe page Friday, a celebration of life for London is happening Monday at 2 p.m. at Good Shepherd Church in Lawrencetown.

The GoFundMe page has now raised more than $36,000 for the family. The goal for the page was $25,000.

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