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Mr. Stephan John Cochrane

Opaskwayak, Manitoba

Decorations for Bravery

  • Medal of Bravery

    Awarded on: 2001-10-25
    Invested on: 2002-06-28
    Shortly before midnight on May 20, 2000, Stephan Cochrane saved his wife and their two small children from a fiery death near The Pas, Manitoba. The family was sleeping on a mattress in the living room of their trailer-home when Mr. Cochrane was awakened by the sound of a smoke-detector. The trailer was full of smoke and there were flames near the kitchen stove. Although he was momentarily forced to go out and catch his breath, he made his way back through the choking fumes, crawling some eight metres past the burning kitchen to reach his family. Blinded by the acrid smoke, he managed to grab hold of his four-month-old daughter, removed her to safety and returned for his two-year-old son. As the draft accelerated the spread of the fire, he braved the danger a third time to wake his semi-conscious wife and drag her from the blaze. Mr. Cochrane then ran to a neighbour's house for help.