Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: January 12, 1987
• Invested on: March 06, 1987

Constable Joseph Frank William Ferguson, M.B.
Donald Andrew McCombie, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

Cst. Ferguson, on night surveillance duty in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, December 28, 1985, noticed smoke coming from a building. Investigating, he found the only entrance to the building was in flames. He called to passerby Donald McCombie and the two men entered the building, which was filled with dense, toxic smoke, to alert the occupants. They found four adults in one apartment and persuaded them to leave, instructing them to crawl on the floor where air was available. Learning that two little girls were asleep in the other apartment, both rescuers remained to search for them. They found the girls still in bed and each rescuer carried one child out of the building to safety while pieces of the burning ceiling were falling all around them. Expert witnesses state that without the timely action of Cst. Ferguson and Mr. McCombie, all occupants would have likely been lost, as the fire quickly became too intense for even trained firefighters t risk an entrance.