Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: September 15, 2016
• Invested on: November 23, 2017

Constable Steve Demers, M.B.
Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs, Quebec
Constable Samuel Poirier-Payette, M.B.
Laval, Quebec

On October 7, 2014, Montréal police constables Steve Demers and Samuel Poirier-Payette put their lives at risk as they attempted to rescue a mother and her son from a burning house in Beaconsfield, Quebec. The officers first tried to reach one of the victims in the basement but were quickly driven back by the heat and heavy smoke. Hearing screams from the second victim on the main floor, the two constables struggled through the smoke until they reached the woman, but she refused to leave without her son, who was still in the basement. Constable Demers fell twice while attempting to drag the woman outside, but finally succeeded with the help of his colleague. Sadly, the victim's son did not survive.