Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: September 15, 2016
• Invested on: February 22, 2019

Constable Steve Demers, M.B.
Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs, Quebec
Constable Samuel Poirier-Payette, M.B.
Laval, Quebec

On October 7, 2014, Montréal police constables Steve Demers and Samuel Poirier-Payette put their lives at risk as they attempted to rescue a mother and her son from a burning house in Beaconsfield, Quebec. The officers first tried to reach one of the victims in the basement but were quickly driven back by the heat and heavy smoke. Hearing screams from the second victim, they re-entered via on the main floor,. Tthe two constables struggled through the smoke until they reached the woman, but she refused to leave without her son, who was still in the basement. Constable Demers fell twice while attempting to drag the woman outside, but finally succeeded with the help of the other constablehis colleague. Sadly, the victim's son did not survive.