Medal of Bravery
Awarded on: 1998-06-25
Invested on: 1999-05-10
Firefighter Captain Alan Hunt, M.B.
Brent David Merrill, M.B.
Medal of Bravery
On August 19, 1997, a collision between a Fire Department emergency van and an armoured truck at Toronto, Ontario sent the van careening down the street, trapping two firefighters and showering an intersection with gas and sparks that sent witnesses running for cover. Passerby Brent Merrill ran to the flaming van and, through the broken passenger window, witnessed Cpt. Hunt trying in vain to revive and pull his severely injured colleague from their trap. Urging the victims to come out, Mr. Merrill coaxed Cpt. Hunt to slide towards the window and helped him out through the opening. Despite the risks, both men then reached back inside the wreckage and together, they assisted the driver out and away from the inferno just as an oxygen tank in the back of the van blew up, sending flames and metal debris 20 metres into the air.