Some of Saskatchewan’s most deserving citizens are being honoured today (Mon) at Government House in Regina.
Lieutenant Governor W. Thomas Molloy will present the Royal Canadian Humane Association Bravery Awards.
The organization recognizes heroic deeds, in particular when it’s outside of the usual duties of the person involved.
In one instance, Derrick Boyer and Emily Bird were out for a walk in Prince Albert when they heard noises and saw a male running away from a house.
As they got nearer, they heard a fire alarm and saw flames. They banged on the door and shouted for anyone inside but when no one answered, Derrick went in an found a 20 year old man lying on the floor covered in blood.
He and Emily dragged him from the house and called 911.
The victim had been stabbed multiple times, and was taken to hospital where he recovered.
Derrick Boyer and Emily Bird are being awarded a bronze medal for bravery.
Tim Popp Silver Medal for Meritorious Service
RCMP Corporal (retired) Tim Popp was appointed the Saskatchewan Representative to the Royal Canadian Humane Association in 2003. He has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to ensuring that residents of Saskatchewan are recognized for their acts of bravery. Over the past 15 years, Tim Popp has dedicated numerous hours of meritorious volunteer service.
Jacob Boissonneault Honorary Testimonial Certificate
On a hot and windy July 19, 2018, Jacob Boissonneault, his soccer coach, and the coach’s 8-year-old son, took a boat out into the middle of Greig Lake in northern Saskatchewan for some fun. They were diving in and out of the lake when the boy took off his lifejacket and dove under water, corning up far from the boat. As his head came out of the water, a pontoon boat came up behind him sending waves that went over his head. The father immediately swam to his son, but the boy started to panic, grabbing onto his father s shoulders, and pushing him under. The father could barely keep his head above the water so he yelled at Jacob to start the boat. Even though Jacob had never driven a boat, he managed to start the engine and drive to the two struggling swimmers. Jacob steered the boat beside the father and was able to pull him onto the ladder, enabling him and his son to get on board.
Abegail Epino, Cory Folster, Megan Stonehouse Honorary Testimonial Certificate
Just after midnight on May 29, 2018, Abegail Epino and Megan Stonehouse were driving towards downtown Nipawin. An orange glow appeared in the sky and as they drove towards it, they realized it was a small house that was fully engulfed in flames. They called 911 and were joined by Cory Folster. The three of them realized the burning structure was an abandoned house, but noted that a group home occupied by special-needs adults was located next door. Abegail, Megan, and Cory decided to alert the residents of the danger as the fire was spreading to the west wall of the home. They banged on the front door repeatedly until a staff member responded. Once they informed the staff of the fire they assisted them to wake up and evacuate 5 residents to safety. The extreme heat from the fire blew out the windows and burned the outside of the west wall where the residents’ bedrooms were located. The staff area was at the other end of the home and they would not have noticed the fire. These Good Samaritans undoubtedly saved several lives.
Douglas Risling Honorary Testimonial
On August 1, 2017 Douglas Risling, a technician with SaskPower, had finished some electrical repairs at an apartment complex in Prince Albert. He was just leaving when he noticed smoke pouring out of one of the suites. Realizing the building could be on fire, Doug ran back inside and banged on the doors to alert residents of the danger. He managed to evacuate all 12 residents safely away from the building and then proceeded to disconnect the power to the building before the firefighters arrived. The fire was in one of the suites and it was contained by the firefighters; however, there was smoke damage throughout the hallways and Doug and several of the residents were treated for minor smoke inhalation.
Kyle Anderson Bronze Medal for Bravery
Just after 6:00 p.m. on July 24, 2018, Kyle Anderson and his friend Daren paddled out on Pat Lake in separate kayaks. The weather was fine when they started out, however, when they reached the centre of the lake, conditions changed rapidly and they were caught in white-capped waves. There was no one else on the deep lake, and water temperature was around 4 degrees Celsius. Suddenly, Daren’s kayak capsized and although he was wearing a lifejacket, it was too small for him. He panicked, told Kyle he couldn’t swim, and he had lost mobility in his legs and feet due to cold water shock. Kyle felt it was too dangerous to jump in the ice-cold water, so he retrieved the empty kayak and moved it toward Daren. He managed to push the nose of the kayak under water and Daren was able to grab it when it surfaced underneath him. With Kyle constantly talking to Daren to keep him from panicking, Kyle paddled with one arm and towed the kayak holding Daren, with the other. About an hour later the two men made it safely to shore.
This is not the first time Kyle saved a life, as in May 2014 he saved a woman from the North Saskatchewan River who was involved in a quadding accident – a rescue which earned him a Silver Medal for Bravery.
Emily Bird, Derrick Boyer Bronze Medal for Bravery
On July 31, 2017 at approximately 5:00 a.m. Derrick Boyer and Emily Bird were out for a walk in Prince Albert when they heard a commotion coming from a house, and they witnessed a male running away from the house. Derrick and Emily approached the house, and then heard the fire alarm and saw flames through a living room window. Derrick banged on the door and shouted loudly for the occupants to get out. When there was no response he entered and found a 20-year-old male lying on the floor covered in blood. He was lying beside two couches that were burning fiercely and flames were moving rapidly to the wood paneling. The victim was unconscious so Derrick and Emily dragged him from the house and called 911 as the fire quickly engulfed the house. They discovered the male had been stabbed multiple times. The victim was taken to hospital and he eventually recovered from his wounds.
Constable Jesse Green Bronze Medal for Bravery
On May 24, 2017 Constable Jesse Green was on duty when he noticed a fire in the back yard of a Regina duplex. He also noted the fence was on fire. Constable Green notified his supervisor and asked him to call 911. High winds up to 90 kilometers per hour were spreading the fire, which was rapidly engulfing the building. Constable Green ran to the front of the duplex and got the occupants of one side of the building out safely. One of the occupants attempted to re-enter the duplex to get her cat, so the Constable directed her and the others further out of the area. He then proceeded to the other side of the duplex and knocked several times. There was no answer and flames, pushed by the high winds, were starting to engulf the building. Constable Green kicked in the door, thoroughly searched the residence, but found no one inside. He then continued to knock on the doors of surrounding homes as the Fire Department had not yet arrived. Thick, black smoke was filling the street as the high winds rapidly spread the fire, fully engulfing the duplex. When firefighters arrived Constable Green updated them on the situation. He was treated for smoke inhalation at Regina General Hospital.
Brian Gould Bronze Medal for Bravery
On February 5, 2018 at 3:00 a.m. Brian Gould was driving to the Saskatoon airport for an early morning flight to work. Half an hour into his commute he noticed a car stuck in the snow off Highway 11 just north of Duck Lake. He pulled over and noticed the driver was still inside; the car was in gear with the tires spinning. Brian immediately called 911 and while speaking with the operator he noticed fire and smoke under the hood of the car. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Brian informed the operator he had to go help the man out of the burning vehicle. When Brian reached the car and banged on the driver’s side window, he found the car was full of smoke and the driver was unresponsive. The door was locked and stuck against a snow bank, so he tried shouting and banging at the window, but the driver did not respond. Brian ran back to his vehicle, grabbed a shovel, and used it to break the rear passenger-side window to avoid injuring the driver, but he still could not unlock the door. Brian then smashed the driver’s window as the smoke and flames were increasing and he had to get the driver out. After smashing the window, Brian was able to grab the victim, who was not wearing a seatbelt. As Brian was pulling the man through the window, the front left tire exploded, reviving the victim. Brian brought the man to his own truck to keep warm while they waited for the RCMP to arrive. In the meantime, the man’s car was completely engulfed in flames. If Brian had not removed him from the car, the man would not have survived.
Ian Whitehead Bronze Medal for Bravery
On June 15, 2018 Ian Whitehead had walked outside his residence at Fishing Lake First Nation when he saw two dogs approach a 9-year-old girl. He saw the girl trying to pet the dogs when the larger of the two animals bit her arm and dragged her to the ground. The second dog then bit her on the ear and arm as well. Ian started to yell and ran toward the dogs. They would not leave the girl alone so he picked up a rock and threw it at the large dog yelling and screaming until they released the girl and ran off. Ian picked up the injured girl and brought her to a nearby residence where he called 911. The girl was badly bitten, and was rushed to Wadena hospital and then transported to a Saskatoon hospital.
Constables Jason Hein and Jay Keating Silver Medal for Bravery
Constables Mitchel Barber, Robert Keleman, Allisha Stewart Bronze Medal for Bravery
Constables Allison Braun, Jonathon Mann, Derek Rainville Honorary Testimonial Certificate
On May 2, 2018 a house caught on fire in Saskatoon. The residents on the main floor were able to evacuate, however, a man was trapped in the basement. The Fire Department was called but they were delayed by a train crossing. Saskatoon Police Services were alerted and officers rushed to the scene. Constables Keating and Keleman were first to arrive. Constable Keating kicked in a door. He could not enter due to thick, black smoke and a wall of flames that pushed him back as he heard a male screaming. Constables Keating and Keleman began breaking basement windows, removing bars and glass, in an attempt to locate the male. Thick, black smoke prevented them from seeing or hearing anything. They switched to another location where they could hear mumbling. Constable Keating reached in to try and find the male through the smoke. The heat was intensifying as a fire ball rolled across the basement ceiling, silhouetting the victim, but pushing both men back.
Constables Hein, Barber, Stewart, Braun, Mann, and Rainville arrived. These Constables used various means in an attempt to find and gain access to the victim. At one point, Constable Hein used a fire extinguisher through a broken window in the hope of creating an escape point, but the flames were too intense. Constable Barber used his flashlight and put his upper body into a broken window, attempting to spot the man. He reached into the opening, yelling for the man to grab on, but flames rushed out of the window. When Constable Stewart arrived she attempted to access the victim through a partially open door, but was overpowered by the toxic black smoke. Constables Stewart and Barber had to back off as it was too dangerous. Constables Rainville, Braun, and Mann attempted to locate the victim by yelling and breaking windows. Then Constable Hein got down on the doorway steps and, using his flashlight, was able to see a pathway underneath the heavy smoke. He saw flames rolling across the ceiling and was forced back. He leaned in again when the flames had diminished, and saw the hands and body of the man. He yelled at him to crawl towards his voice. Constable Hein yelled to the other officers that he could see the man. Constable Keating joined him and the two officers pulled the man out of the house as flames followed them. Together, they dragged the victim to the back yard where he collapsed. They comforted him as the Fire Department and a doctor arrived to administer first aid. Constable Keating was taken to hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and bums on his right wrist. Constables Keleman, Hein, Barber, and Stewart were also taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.
Hayley Hesseln Silver Medal for Bravery
Mandy Prior, Kevin Svenson Honorary Testimonial Certificate
On February 4, 2018 Hayley Hesseln was walking her 3 dogs at a dog park bordering the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon. There was no one else around. Suddenly, she heard someone screaming for help and saw 3 other dogs running on the ice in the river. A woman in a red parka was clinging to the ice in the fast-flowing, freezing water about 9 meters from shore. Hayley immediately yelled that she was coming as she ran toward the river’s edge. She found a tree branch and began to crawl out on the ice toward the victim. The water was extremely fast and frigid. When Hayley came close enough, she extended the branch to the woman who grabbed it. While lying flat on the ice, Hayley pulled the woman closer, then carefully pulled her up and out of the water onto the ice. She grabbed the woman’s hood and continued to pull her to thicker ice while still lying flat. When it was safe to do so, she took off the woman s wet and freezing parka and gave the victim her own dry parka and mitts. Then Hayley told the woman to stay put while she ran a kilometer to the main road for help. She flagged down Mandy Prior and Kevin Svenson in one vehicle, and an unknown male in another, and explained the situation. The trio ran ahead of Hayley to the scene. Mandy called 911, providing the exact location, while Kevin approached the victim still on the ice. Kevin brought her closer in, then he and Mandy helped her up a slippery embankment. The woman was hypothermic so more of her wet clothing was removed. Kevin gave the woman his sweater and kangaroo pull-over as he and Mandy tried to warm her up and they encouraged her to walk to the car to get warm. They walked the nearly collapsing woman for about half a kilometer before paramedics met them and brought the victim to the waiting ambulance.
Bradley Schroeder Silver Medal for Bravery
Casadi Schroeder Honorary Testimonial Certificate
On June 10, 2018 Brad and Casadi Schroeder were spending the weekend with a Family Camp Group near Jeannette Lake in Meadow Lake Provincial Park, Saskatchewan. A bear, pushing at their cabin door, woke them up. They scared it off by banging on the window, but it headed off toward another building. There was also a tent with some children in it nearby. Casadi feared the bear might harm the children so she left the cabin to warn them. The bear noticed her, chased her as she ran behind a tree, and reached with his claws around the tree. He knocked her to the ground, biting deeply into her legs. Her husband Bradley realized what was happening, and ran outside, attacking the bear by punching, hitting, and kicking it until the bear stopped the attack. He was screaming at the bear, and when it stopped biting, Bradley yelled for Casadi to run. She ran toward another cabin but it followed her biting and tearing at her legs again. She pounded on the cabin door while Brad punched, hit, and screamed at the bear a second time. The bear released her again. The cabin was opened by the occupant and Casadi and Brad made it in. Realizing their children were alone, Brad attempted to get back to them. As he ran out of the cabin he was attacked by the bear. It knocked him down and swiped at him several times. Somehow, Brad managed to free himself and made it back to his cabin. Casadi was given emergency treatment from the people in the cabin and eventually EMTs arrived and transported Casadi and Brad to hospital. Casadi received 34 staples in her legs to close up the wounds while Brad had a bad claw mark across his hip, several scratches, and his hand was swollen for 10 days from punching the bear. Brad and Casadi also lost their voices from all the screaming during the attack.
