Bravery medal. (Royal Canadian Humane Association)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Provincial Heroes

Fifteen people recognized with bravery awards for risking own life to save others

Oct 14, 2022 | 5:02 PM

People from across the province are being recognized as true heroes.

Saskatchewan’s Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty presented bravery awards- medals and honorary testimonial certificates – from the Royal Canadian Humane Association (RCHA) on Friday in Saskatoon to 15 individuals who put their life at risk to save another.

Bridge Rescue

Constable Tanner Maynard with the Nipawin RCMP detachment received a bronze medal for bravery after stopping a woman from jumping off the Old Highway 35 bridge back in May 2021.

Maynard ended up putting on a harness and safety equipment and climbed down to the woman, speaking with her for around an hour.

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After spotting an opportunity, he grabbed onto the woman and handcuffed her to the bridge to make sure she couldn’t jump off.

Motel Fire

Constables Alyssa Ogieglo and Marc-Andre Thériault each received their own bronze medals after saving an elderly man from a fire in the Rosthern Motel in April 2021.

After arriving at the motel for a separate call and dealing with the issue, they noticed flames were coming out of the roof. The pair started kicking in doors to ensure no one was inside.

They were told that an elderly man was still in the building and despite being told to leave, he was confused and decided to stay.

Constable Thériault forced himself into the room and help the man get out just before the roof of the motel collapsed.

Heroes around the Battlefords

Three instances around the Battlefords also led to five people receiving a medal or certificate.

In March 2021, Constable Josh Trefry responded to a call about a woman who had climbed over the concrete barricade on the Highway 16 and Highway 4 overpass near North Battleford.

There he found Misty Brown talking with the woman when he decided to give her a bear hug to ensure she couldn’t jump or fall.

“I figured it was the safest thing to do, I didn’t want to try and get her on the side of the bridge just by myself,” said Trefry.

Sergeant William Picard soon arrived and decided to jump over the barricade, risking his own life, to be on the same side as the woman. The three were then able to safely get her back over the rail.

“There are lots of bad news stories that everyone hears about the police and it’s really nice to have a positive news story out there too,” added Trefry.

In November 2021, Constable Jordan MacKenzie responded to a house fire on Saulteaux First Nation.

He was told a woman was stuck inside the house, but firefighters couldn’t get to her as they needed to fight the fire.

After the smoke started to ease, MacKenzie saw the woman through a window lying face down with burns to her hands. He decided to crawl through the window but was unable to lift her to safety.

With help from firefighters and Constable Japheth Walters, they used a ladder to help lift the woman and drag her through the window.

Unfortunately, she died from injuries sustained in the fire, while MacKenzie was treated for smoke inhalation.

He ended up receiving a silver medal for bravery.

Constable Walters also received a bronze medal for a separate situation.

In May 2021, the officer received a call about a distraught man on the Battleford Bridge.

Walters found the man sitting on the edge of the bridge and was able to grab hold of him just as he tried to jump.

Meanwhile, the other seven people who were given a medal or certificate were recognized for situations that happened in Regina and Saskatoon.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow