Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: March 14, 1983
• Invested on: September 09, 1983

On the morning of 31 October 1980, Firefighter Marsh Collins acted above and beyond the call of duty. On arrival at the scene of a burning apartment in Winnipeg, Firefighter Collins, wearing respiratory protection equipment, climbed a ladder and entered a second-floor bedroom after breaking the window. He found a four-year old boy whom he passed to another firefighter at the window. Searching further through the dense smoke, he located a woman unconscious near her bed, gasping for air. He then removed the face-piece of his breathing apparatus and placed it over the face of the woman, providing her vital life support until colleagues reached him and assisted in carrying the victim away from the blaze. Because of his unselfish action the woman survived, but her young son later succumbed to smoke inhalation.