Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: June 13, 1988
• Invested on: August 19, 1988

Early in the morning of November 1, 1987, Cst. Phillips of the Fredericton, N.B. Police Department arrived at the scene of a house fire and was informed by the distraught mother that her three-year-old daughter was still upstairs in her room. Holding a wet towel to his face, Cst. Phillips entered the house. Totally blinded by smoke so thick he was forced to pull himself along the floor with one hand while holding the towel to his face with the other, he felt his way around her room but was unable to find her. Crawling into the next room along the hall he located the unconscious little girl by touch, dragged her with him along the floor to the top of the stairs and handed her over to a waiting police officer. After catching his breath in the clearer air at the top of the stairs Cst. Phillips again risked his life by crawling through the smoke to a back bedroom in search of another victim, but found the door blocked. At this time fully-equipped firefighters arrived to take over the search.