Constable Thomas Richard Hansen

  • Lions Bay, British Columbia

Decorations for Bravery

  • Medal of Bravery

    • Awarded on: November 21, 1988
    • Invested on: June 02, 1989

    R.C.M.P. Corporal Brian Robert Douglas, M.B.
    R.C.M.P. Constable Craig Allan Gates, M.B.
    R.C.M.P. Constable Robert Douglas Hagymasy, M.B.
    R.C.M.P. Constable Thomas Richard Hansen, M.B.*
    R.C.M.P. Constable Phillip David Morris, M.B.
    Medal of Bravery

    On September 10, 1986, five members of the R.C.M.P. North Vancouver Detachment risked their lives in an attempt to save four children who were being held hostage in the family home by their mentally-unstable father. The man, who was armed with several pistols, was determined to die either by his own hand or in a "shoot-out" with police and had threatened to shoot the children as well. Noticing smoke and flames within the house and concerned for the safety of the children, Cpl. Douglas and Csts. Gates, Hagymasy, Hansen and Morris broke into the residence. The thick black, smoke in the house forced them to search the main floor on their hands and knees and to go outside occasionally to catch their breath. Confident that all of the occupants were upstairs Csts. Gates, Hagymasy and Hansen donned airpacks and proceeded up the burning staircase with their guns drawn. At the top of the stairway they discovered the body of the man surrounded by three pistols. While Csts. Hagymasy and Hansen removed him for medical attention, Cst. Gates searched along the still-burning and smoke-filled hallway for the children. Tragically, he discovered that they had been shot before their father had set the fire.

    * This is the second award of a Medal of Bravery to Cst. Hansen.

  • Medal of Bravery

    • Awarded on: September 26, 1983
    • Invested on: December 09, 1983

    R.C.M.P. Constable Thomas Richard Hansen, M.B.
    Firefighter Lieutenant Gary Robson, M.B.
    Medal of Bravery

    In a magnificent display of team effort, at great risk to their own lives, Cst. Thomas Hansen, a member of the R.C.M.P. Squamish Detachment, and Lt. Gary Robson of the Squamish Fire Department, rescued a sixteen-year-old girl. In the early hours of 28 October 1981, during a continuous heavy downpour, an 18-metre section of the "M" Creek Bridge was destroyed by a rock and water slide. Four vehicles motoring on Highway 99, north of Lions Bay, in British Columbia, plunged to the creek bed below. Dispatched to the scene, Cst. Hansen saw the family van overturned and almost covered by mud with a large boulder, approximately one third the size of the vehicle laying on top. Lt. Robson joined Cst. Hansen shortly afterwards and, armed with flashlights, they waded into the deep mud, determined to check for survivors. On hearing faint cries for help from the van, Lt. Robson tried to pry open the door. With cumbersome tools he then cut a small opening through layers of metal and plywood. The teen-aged girl was found inside, submerged in mud and debris. Though it was feared that another slide could occur at any moment and that the chassis might collapse, Lt. Robson entered the van to dismantle a fridge blocking the girl's exit and clear the debris pinning her. Unable to move her, Cst. Hansen entered the vehicle and, submerged in mud, freed her ankle. He and Lt. Robson then pulled her from the van to a waiting ambulance.