Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: April 18, 2000
• Invested on: December 08, 2000

On February 13, 1996, Cst. Gregory Thorpe of the Toronto Police rescued an elderly woman from a house fire in Toronto, Ontario. Flames were shooting through the roof of the three-storey rooming house when Cst. Thorpe and his partner arrived at the scene. Alerted that an elderly woman was trapped inside a basement unit, Cst. Thorpe raced to a ground-level window and, through heavy smoke, saw the woman's feet inside. When the disoriented victim did not respond to his calls, he smashed the pane, releasing intense heat and smoke. Disregarding his own safety, Cst. Thorpe then dropped some two metres inside and ran to the terrified victim. Holding his breath, he picked her up, brought her to the window and lifted her to his partner and firemen who pulled her out. Cst. Thorpe was then able to climb out to safety.