Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: August 22, 1988
• Invested on: June 02, 1989

At 8:30 a.m. on September 28, 1986, a taxi driver noticed smoke coming from an upstairs window of a residence in Charlottetown, P.E.I. After notifying the fire department he attempted to enter the house through the front door but found it locked. Running next door, he asked Gordon Dunn and another neighbour to help. They entered the house through the back door and found a young woman in a state of shock in the kitchen. She informed them that her mother, who was ill with arthritis and had difficulty moving, was still upstairs. Despite the extremely thick smoke which was starting to fill the house Mr. Dunn went to find her. Although completely blinded by the smoke he located the woman lying unconscious on the floor of the upstairs hall and was able to pull her down the stairs with the help of the neighbour. All three men assisted her and her daughter out of the house and into the back yard. Mr. Dunn then attempted to re-enter the house to search for the elderly man in whose bedroom the fire had started but was driven back by the intense smoke. At this point police and firefighters arrived on the scene.