Star of Courage

• Awarded on: May 2, 1977
• Invested on: June 17, 1977

On 15 December 1975, when an explosion took place in a two-storey block in Jasper, Alberta, Palmer Ferguson rescued a tenant from the building. Moments after the blast he and another witness ran to the scene and found a man standing in a window of his basement apartment. The man was hauled through the narrow opening but told his rescuers that his wife was still trapped inside. With no thought for his own safety Mr. Ferguson crawled through the window and searched for the woman. He found her lying partly covered by debris and suffering from burns. Freeing her, he then carried her through the smoke and rubble. No sooner had they reached the window and were lifted to safety than fire spread through the apartment.