Medal of Bravery
Awarded on: 2012-04-25
Invested on: 2012-10-12
Darrell Black, M.B.
Michael Black, M.B.
Daniel Glanville, M.B.
Brent Kirchner, M.B.
Benoit Ladouceur, M.B.
Medal of Bravery
On August 28, 2004, the above-mentioned firefighters rescued a man who was trapped inside a silo, near Woodstock, Ontario. The victim was chest-deep in solidified cement dust at the bottom of a narrow trench. Any movement could result in his sinking deeper into the moving sands below. One at a time, the firefighters were harnessed and lowered into the confined space. Suspended by a rope rescue system, they worked diligently and carefully, using a jackhammer to break up the debris around the victim and vacuum it out of the silo. During this process, they were positioned directly under an outcropping of unstable solidified cement dust weighing nearly 15 tonnes. The rescue operation took nearly 13 hours before the victim was freed and brought to safety.