On October 25, 1998, Cst. Breault rescued an 18-year-old boy who had fallen some 30 metres down an abandoned mine shaft near Cobalt, Ontario. Despite the extremely poor footing caused by shards of broken rock, Cst. Breault volunteered to be lowered to the base of the shaft. Attached to a harness and rope, he made his way down the steep embankment and, with rocks hitting him from above, managed to stabilize the seriously injured teenager and place him in a rescue basket. Calling instructions to his colleagues, he guided the basket up the shaft, dodging rocks and unsnagging the rope many times as it became caught, until both were hoisted to the surface.