Windsor Fire and Rescue Services is honouring two civilians who risked their own personal safety to save others in dangerous situations.
In November 2019, firefighters were called to Westcourt Place, a downtown apartment building, for a person trapped in an elevator. When they arrived, they discovered not only was the person trapped but there was no power in the building because of an active fire.
A fire at a high rise in downtown Windsor has sent three people to the hospital with smoke inhalation. Nov 12, 2019. (Photo by Paul Pedro)
Captain Jeff Topliffe said the only way to get that individual out of the elevator, which was stuck between floors, was to call a technician in. The technician, Dave Murdoch, agreed to help the firefighters on the scene to get the individual out of the elevator.
"In my years here, this is the first time that I'm aware of that we've taken a civilian into an emergency scene like that," said Topliffe.
Murdoch climbed 22 flights of stairs, with an air tank, to manually lift the elevator from the fourth floor to the top of the building.
"In a high rise situation, a lot can happen. There are a lot of factors that make it very unique and dangerous on our part to deal with and we train for it and here's an individual just coming to help with an elevator and he stepped up. He was very heroic and he is very humble," said Topliffe.
Murdoch was awarded a citizen citation. He declined to speak with the media about his heroic actions.
Firefighters also honoured James Johnson with a citizen citation award for saving two people from a burning building in July of 2021.
Johnson had just returned from a night out when the fire alarm went off in the building he was visiting. He found the floor and the apartment where the fire was happening and kicked down the door to access the apartment.
He rescued a woman from the burning room and went back for a second person. He dragged the man out of bed and into the hallway before he was overcome with smoke.
Johnson then told the firefighters where the individual was so that he could be rescued.
"It's simple... go help them. I don't care if it was a dog I'm going to do the same thing," said Johnson.
Captain James Sova, who was on the scene that night, said without Johnson's help those individuals would probably not be alive today.
"It's very rare to get someone like him. He has no fear, he has no fear and that was just how you are supposed to react in his eyes but he is very rare," said Sova.
Fire Chief Stephen Laforet thanked both individuals for their actions.
"These things don't happen often, and when they do they are truly heroic and it has such an impact on our community," said Laforet.
