View Royal’s fire chief Paul Hurst has been honoured with a rare Medal of Bravery for his courageous actions, saving the life of a young girl during a house fire.

On March 14, 2013, at 3 a.m., members of the View Royal’s fire department were called to a house fire. A team of firefighters was attempting to enter the blazing heat of the basement to find the missing child when assistant fire chief John Chow, breaking open the front door for ventilation, spotted a body in the smoke-filled hallway.

Seeing the lifeless form lying several feet from him in the hallway of the burning home, Hurst quickly evaluated the situation as requiring immediate action, and despite a lack of protective breathing equipment, risked his own safety by entering to rescue the girl. 

The child was trapped behind a door and under fallen furniture. It took three attempts for Hurst to pull the girl free and drag her from the building. As the girl had no pulse, he then performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), keeping her alive until ambulance paramedics arrived.

The British Columbia Fire Fighter Medal of Bravery is awarded to firefighters who have performed acts of courage and bravery without concern for their own personal safety. Only five such awards have been handed out by the Office of the Fire Commissioner in the last 10 years - four in 2003 and one in 2011.

Quotes:

Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton -

“Thanks to fire chief Paul Hurst’s selfless and courageous actions, there is a little girl alive today who otherwise might have been lost. Neither she nor we - the people of British Columbia - will forget his actions. There is no doubt he is deserving of such a rare honour, and it is my pleasure and honour to present him with the B.C. Fire Fighter Medal of Bravery.”

View Royal Mayor Graham Hill -

“There were many people - firefighters, police and ambulance personnel - who were part of the tremendous effort that night and they all deserve our recognition and our gratitude. Included in this recognition, chief Hurst deserves special mention. Under extreme stress and in the midst of a rapidly deteriorating situation, his quick thinking and immediate actions stand out as extraordinary. He put his community and the safety of others first. And he did that despite grave personal risk.”

Timothy Pley, president of the Fire Chiefs’ Association of British Columbia -

“I commend chief Hurst for his selfless, heroic actions that saved a life of a young girl. When confronted with what was truly a life-and-death situation for both himself and the young victim, chief Hurst acted instinctively and decisively, not only putting himself in grave danger to execute a rescue, but also providing life-saving CPR until relieved by paramedics.”

Learn More:

For more information on the Office of the Fire Commissioner’s awards and medals, visit: www.embc.gov.bc.ca/ofc/services/awards/index.htm

For photos from the event, visit Province of British Columbia’s photo stream on Flickr at: http://ow.ly/vAoxF or http://ow.ly/vAoLe

Downloadable audio of Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton: https://soundcloud.com/bcgov/minister-anton-medal-of and https://soundcloud.com/bcgov/minister-anton-medal-of-1

Media Contacts:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 213-3602