A firefighter and two police officers from Eastern Ontario received provincial bravery medals on Friday for outstanding courage in the line of duty.
Lieut. John Chatterton of the Ottawa Fire Service, Const. Patrick Benoit of the Kingston Police, and Const. Darrell Wagner of the OPP received their awards from Lieutenant Governor David Onley during a ceremony at Queen's Park
Ignoring an inferno
Chatterton received the Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery for his role in ensuring his crew's safety during a devastating blaze on Feb. 12, 2007 that gutted two apartment buildings on Forward Avenue.
After verifying that no one remained in one of the homes, Chatterton and his team tried to exit but met fierce smoke and heat that reduced visibility to zero. He led them to a third-floor room and urged everyone to jump for safety.
By waiting until everyone had jumped and been cleared safely, Chatterton suffered second-degree burns before himself escaping from the "unbearable heat," according to a government news release.
A timely rock climb
Benoit made an off-duty rescue on March 29, 2008 after a tractor trailer crashed along Hwy. 401 just west of Kingston, earning him an Ontario Medal for Police Bravery.
The truck rested precariously -- and on fire -- on a 10-metre-high outcropping of Canadian Shield rock. The driver was dazed and at risk of falling off the cliff or getting too close to the flames.
With no emergency assistance, Benoit began climbing the rock face, and reached the top after falling once and cutting his hand. He grabbed the driver and moved him away moments before the truck exploded.
Rescue from the rapids
Wagner, of the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP detachment, rescued a stranded boater from the Ottawa River in the Whitewater region on July 22, 2007. The fisherman's sunken boat was stuck near deadly rapids and jaged rocks.
After several failed rope rescue attempts in the dark, Const. Wagner dove into the rapids with an inflatable tube, grabbed the fisherman, and escaped the water. Both men needed treatment for hypothermia.
Nine awards were presented at Friday's ceremony to police officers and firefighters from across the -province. A total of 179 firefighter medals have been awarded since 1976, and 201 medals for police bravery since 1975.
An independent body of Ontario citizen determine the recipients.
