Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: June 15, 1987
• Invested on: September 25, 1987

At approximately 2:30 a.m. on August 18, 1985, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Bill Mollard was awakened by a loud crash and the sound of voices. Looking out his bedroom window, he observed a fire in the house across the street. He quickly got dressed and ran over to offer some help. The mother of a 10-month old baby still in the house was yelling and crying. Mr. Mollard, having been given the exact location of the child, had two bystanders smash the bedroom window. Thick smoke made visibility nil. Mr. Mollard took a deep breath, closed his eyes and lowered himself through the window to the floor where the smoke was less thick. He yelled out several times, trying to communicate with the child. He followed whimpering sounds, located the crib, grabbed the little boy, ran back to the window and handed him to safety. The Fire Department arrived soon after and no one was hospitalized.