On the night of October 9, 1984, RCMP Cst. Brian Powell rescued a man from a burning house on Bell Island, Newfoundland. Responding to a call reporting a suspected fire, Cst. Powell arrived at the house and, receiving no answer at the door, proceeded to check the windows. Smoke issuing from a broken pane alerted him, so he broke the door-lock and entered the home. He had been informed that the man was trapped inside. He began a room-to-room search, hampered by lack of air and poor visibility. Finding the victim unconscious on the floor of a back bedroom, he lifted him over his shoulder and began to retrace his steps. His passage was blocked by the kitchen and walls exploding into flames. He retreated to the back bedroom and was briefly overcome by the smoke and heat. However, he recovered and noticed a window; he kicked out the glass and he and the victim fell out of the window head first to the ground three metres below. Once away from the building, Cst. Powell called for an ambulance and then monitored the vital signs of the victim until it arrived.