Medal of Bravery

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

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.