Sergeant Joseph John Daniel Bouchard, M.B., C.D.
Medal of Bravery
On December 12, 1967, a Hercules aircraft was being prepared for fuel tank repair in a maintenance hangar at Canadian Forces Base, Uplands, when a spark from a faulty safety lamp started a fire in one of the tanks. Climbing onto the wing, Sgt. Joseph John Daniel Bouchard entered the fuel tank dry bay to ensure no maintenance personnel were trapped inside. He then assumed control of the situation and with the assistance of two colleagues proceeded to fight the fire. There were four aircrafts in the hangar and some 250 people in the hangar complex. Due to the rapid response of Sgt. Bouchard to the emergency, the fire was extinguished in a matter of minutes and before the fire fighting equipment arrived at the scene. Had it not been for Sgt. Bouchard's action taken in complete disregard of his own safety, the incident could have resulted not only in the lost of aircrafts and buildings but in injury and perhaps also in loss of life.