On August 6, 1990, Mr. Gullickson rescued his 2 1/2-year-old nephew from a house fire in Edmonton, Alberta. Hearing that the young boy was upstairs in the burning house, he raced to the second storey but was forced back by the intense heat and smoke. He mounted the stairs again and, despite the raging fire, which was nearing flashpoint, searched for the boy. Finding him unconscious on the floor, Mr. Gullickson quickly picked him up and, barely able to see through the thick smoke, took him down the stairs and outside to waiting ambulance attendants.