'He's my superhero': Father and trained firefighter saves family of four from drowning in Grand Bend, Ont.

Grand Bend, Ont. -

Two young sisters are calling their dad a real-life superhero after London, Ont.-native Bronson Deagle rescued a family of four from drowning at a Grand Bend beach.

"I’m just glad God put me in the right place at the right time," Bronson said in an interview with CTV News London on Tuesday.

In late July, Bronson was on a secluded area of the beach in south Grand Bend for a family vacation with his pregnant wife, Nicole Deagle, and their two young daughters, Adalia and Novalee.

"I am so proud of him, he is my superhero," said six-year-old Adalia.

Soon after arriving on the beach, a woman walked up to the Deagle family to caution them.

"We were looking at the water and it was very rough that day, lots of waves and wind…this woman, perhaps an angel, came by and said, 'Hey make sure you watch them (kids) the current is very strong today'," Bronson said.

Moments later, when Bronson looked up, he saw a tiny hand just above the water's surface.

"I saw the hand waving, there was no lifeguards on this side of the beach. My heart starts pumping, my adrenaline kicks in. Someone needs my help," he said.

Bronson bolted to the end of the pier, and when he arrived, he said he halted for a split second to digest the horror in front of him.

"I saw a whole family all drowning at the same time, all going underwater at the same time. It was the most intense, scary and unreal situation I have ever found myself in," Bronson said.

Without a glimmer of doubt, the recently trained firefighting graduate, dove into the water.

Nicole, who was watching from the shoreline, said she was surprisingly calm amid the chaos.

"He jumped up, he ran off into the distance, ripped off his sunglasses and continued on. He went far out but we just knew he was going to be okay,” Nicole said.

When he reached the end of the pier, Bronson said he saw four people drowning; a woman, man, girl and boy.

He rushed to save the woman and girl first as the woman was lying face down in the water.

Then he noticed an adult male struggling to stay afloat next to a young boy.

"He had actually jumped in to try and save them, but he got caught under in the riptide,” Bronson said of the man.

That's when Bronson began calling others for help. A person on a jet ski and another on a surfboard rushed to their aid.

Bronson then focused his attention back to the young girl, who he said "seemed to be giving up."

Bronson said he grabbed the woman and girl and pushed them both onto his shoulders. He walked them three metres to the shoreline, with assistance from the person on the jet ski, where the young boy and man had also been taken to recover.

"I was praying, please save these people…I’m stretching, on my tippy toes to make sure their heads are above water,” Bronson said.

The woman was particularly in bad shape, lying unconscious on the pier, Bronson said. That's when he sat her upright, performing five back blows, which caused her to cough up the water in her lungs.

The family was all breathing again and paramedics arrived shortly after.

“Even though my heart was pumping, I had this overwhelming sense of calm…I guess it was kind of dangerous when I think about it, but at time I just knew these people needed help,” Bronson said.

Both families have been in contact with one another, but the family who was rescued asked to remain anonymous.

They have thanked the Deagle family many times, and shared these words with CTV News London about the rescue: “I am extremely grateful to God and to you Bronson being the hand of God. God bless you.”

Bronson is currently in the process of becoming a full-time firefighter, having recently graduated with his credentials.

"I hope the right people see this, I am not looking for any accolades, but I hope this gives confidence in my abilities as a person and as a firefighter," he said.