Paramedics and firefighters who responded to a massive warehouse explosion in Mississauga, Ont. were among those honoured for their bravery at an awards ceremony at Rideau Hall on Thursday.
Eleven first-responders from across central Ontario rushed to the explosion on April 23, 2014. The blast caused a wall to collapse, trapping three firefighters underneath rubble.
Governor General Julie Payette awarded the group with Decorations of Bravery.
“Despite flying debris, heavy smoke and secondary explosions, the firefighters and paramedics combined their efforts to recover their injured colleagues, and moved them away from the intense heat and flames to safety,” a statement from Rideau Hall read.
In total, Payette presented 39 Medals of Bravery and 2 Stars of Courage.
Among the other honourees were four Niagara Regional Police constables who stopped an armed man threatening to blow up his apartment building. The man opened fire on the officers, hitting one in the neck, but they still managed to subdue him.
Plus, from Ottawa, four men – including a district fire chief – were awarded medals for their work to save two children from a burning apartment. Samson Agboegbulem, Samir Al-Rubaiy and Montell Russell used a fire extinguisher to break down the apartment unit door, and then proceeded to crawl inside the unit until they were able to locate the children.
"We couldn't find them at first, so we rushed out and trying to get air," Russell told CTV Ottawa at the time. "As soon as we got enough air, we went back inside to try and figure out where the kids were."
District Fire Chief Don Smith went into the suite by himself, and without oxygen, to rescue the second child.
Two military members from Ontario were honoured for their work rescuing a woman trapped in a burning truck in Newfoundland.
Ryan Folkes and Lee Westelaken were holidaying in central Newfoundland and on their way to go swimming in July 2014 when they came across the burning vehicle.
The soldiers took a highway yield sign and with the help of others loaded the woman onto the makeshift stretcher.
"Not three, four, maybe five minutes (later), the whole truck exploded," Folkes told the Canadian Press.
