Close to three dozen London firefighters and police officers are being recognized for their heroic actions in entering a collapsed building to rescue four people trapped in the debris.
The group of 35 firefighters and three police officers were awarded Ontario Medals for Bravery - the province’s highest honour - at a ceremony held at Queen's Park in Toronto on Monday night. The medals were presented to them by Ontario Lieutenant Governor Edith Dumont.
“Each one of the recipients has gone well above and beyond their duties, and we are proud to recognize the impact of their selfless service on their communities and on our province," said Dumont.
The medals went to Constable Blair Corsaut, Sergeant John Dance and Constable Brent Thomas of the London Police Service and the London Fire Department's Mark Archibald, Patrick Bradley, John D. Campbell, Jason Allen Carter, Eric Conway, Erik Elmauer, Adam Froats, Kevin Funston, Randy Geene, Scott Givlin, Todd Groves, Ian Guy, Connor Hanenburg, Christopher Hare, Jason Patrick Kennedy, James King, Mitchell Knight, Peter Lapkowski, Marc Leveille, Joseph Livingstone, Jason Lundy, Derrick G. Martin, Jeff Montgomery, Cole Nicholson, Steven Prior, Parmbir Rai, Michael W. Reed, Brandon Rhea, Justin Salt, Michael Sophocleous, Bradly Stallman, Pat Stephenson, Mitchell Thomas and Scott Turkheim.
It was on December 11, 2022, the first responders jumped into action when called to the partial building collapse at 555 Teeple Terrace. The building had been under construction when the collapse happened, killing two workers and trapping four others in a pit of wet concrete, hardened cement, and twisted metal. Despite the threat of further collapse, the firefighters and police officers performed a rescue that took hours to free all four survivors.
“These firefighters showed extreme bravery and courage in the line of duty, under extremely dangerous and hazardous conditions,” said London Fire Chief Lori Hamer. “They put their own lives at risk in order to successfully rescue four trapped individuals. We are very proud of them – they are most deserving of the prestigious Medal of Bravery.”
London Police Chief Thai Truong called the officers' courage and efforts in such treacherous conditions "truly inspiring."
The medals are presented annually to firefighters and police officers who have demonstrated great courage in risking their lives to save the lives of others. The Ontario medal for police bravery was created in 1975, while the same medal for firefighters was first handed out a year later.