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On June 15, 2011, Victoria Police sergeants Michael Brown and Michael Johnston, along with constables Steve Kowan and Ken Ramsay, risked their lives to search a drug dealer's house rigged with deadly booby traps, in Victoria, British Columbia. The officers were in danger of being electrocuted or injured by explosions from flammable liquids that were wired to homemade triggers placed randomly throughout the residence. Thankfully, no one was inside and the search was conducted without setting off any of the traps.
(i) This is the second Decoration for Bravery awarded to Sergeant Johnston.
Justin Ashley Byrne, M.B. Edmonton, Alberta
On July 17, 2010, Justin Byrne put himself in harm's way to rescue several injured people from a burning building at a riding stable, in Jasper, Alberta. Mr. Byrne, who was at a nearby cabin, heard an explosion and discovered that the roof of a building had been blown off and three of the walls had crumbled onto the occupants inside. Mr. Byrne ran into the fiery debris and helped several people out. Unable to free one unconscious woman trapped under a heavy truss, he tried to reach another victim, but was pushed back by the heat and flames. When the firefighters arrived, he gave them the location of the two people he had been unable to reach. The victims were then found and brought to safety.
Constable Solange Aurella Phyllis Cormier, M.B. Moncton, New Brunswick Constable Keith Carson Head, M.B. Moncton, New Brunswick Constable Philippe Pauze, M.B. Moncton, New Brunswick Constable Glen Joseph Pinto, M.B. Dieppe, New Brunswick
On December 11, 2010, RCMP constables Solange Cormier, Keith Head, Philippe Pauze and Glenn Pinto rescued a woman from a burning house, in Riverview, New Brunswick. Arriving at the scene, they were advised by the building's owner that his wife was still inside. Without a thought to their own safety, the constables entered the residence several times, but were forced to retreat from the intense heat and smoke. Determined to find the woman, Constable Head ran back in and located her in her bedroom. He dragged her into the dark, smoke-filled hallway towards the exit, where he bumped into constables Cormier and Pauze, who helped him bring the badly burned victim outside. Sadly, the woman did not survive.
Matthew Crombeen, M.B. London, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia Kyle Walker, M.B. Milton and Kitchener, Ontario
On April 14, 2009, Matt Crombeen and Kyle Walker risked their lives to come to the aid of a young man who had set fire to his dorm room, in Waterloo, Ontario. Informed that the student had been acting in a strange manner, members of the residence staff went to check up on him. As they approached the student's room, they saw smoke coming out from beneath his door. Messrs. Walker and Crombeen went through an adjoining bathroom to reach the victim, who was covered in flames. They put out the fire and led the severely burnt young man outside to wait for the ambulance. Despite their efforts, the victim did not survive.
Constable Ken DeCloet, M.B. Langton and Tillsonburg, Ontario
