The Ontario Medal for Paramedic Bravery honours paramedics who have performed an act of exceptional courage. The medal is given to paramedics who have demonstrated great bravery without concern for their personal safety, risking their lives to save others.
Primary Care Paramedic Geoff D’Eon – County of Simcoe Paramedic Services
During a bad snowstorm on January 13, 2024, Paramedic D’Eon was driving with his family along Horseshoe Valley Road in Oro Medonte. Paramedic D’Eon came across what appeared to be a motor vehicle collision at the base of a hill and he safely pulled over to the side of the road to see if he could provide assistance. As he approached the scene, he could see an injured Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer laying on the roadway in the path of incoming traffic. Paramedic D’Eon quickly grabbed the officer and pulled him safely to the side of the road before the approaching traffic reached him. If not for the courageous actions of Paramedic D’Eon, the officer could have been struck and killed.
Primary Care Paramedic Sarah Stagg – Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board Paramedic Services
On June 14, 2023, Paramedic Sarah Stagg was off-duty when she was awoken by the sounds of a commotion and screaming outside her home. She immediately called 9-1-1 and began assessing the scene from inside her home, observing what appeared to be two victims laying on the sidewalk. Paramedic Stagg bravely exited her home and upon noticing that one of the victims was unresponsive, began life-saving measures, while also gathering information regarding the assailants from the second injured victim and relaying it to the 9-1-1 communicator. She continued to care for the victims until paramedic units arrived and assumed responsibility. Despite Paramedic Stagg’s best efforts, the first victim tragically died. The second victim was taken into emergency surgery and eventually made a full recovery, thanks in large to Paramedic Stagg’s courageous efforts.
Paramedic David Jeffries – Middlesex-London Paramedic Services
On August 14, 2019, Paramedic David Jeffries and his partner responded to a call after a vehicle crashed into a home. At the scene, a damaged gas line quickly ignited causing a massive explosion, destroying several homes, and injuring almost everyone present. Despite the fiery, debris-filled scene, Paramedic Jeffries stayed cool under pressure to triage, treat, and transport the police and fire personnel injured from the blast. As a result of their heroic actions, all six first responders and one civilian received medical attention for their injuries and survived.
Paramedic Matt Hickey – Muskoka Paramedic Services
On October 25, 2019, Paramedic Matt Hickey and his partner, along with Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers, responded to a house fire. At the scene, they found a house surrounded by thick smoke with a woman holding two children at the second story window. Despite the threat posed to them by the heavy smoke, Paramedic Hickey, his partner and an OPP officer made their way into the house to rescue the family. Paramedic Hickey assisted in getting the family to the roof of the home, where the children were handed down to an OPP officer, while their mother was led to the ground by ladder, with the assistance of the fire department. Paramedic Hickey assessed the family as they were transported to the hospital, and they avoided serious injuries.
Paramedics Syed Ali and Raphaël Désautels – Rainy River District Paramedic Service
On March 20, 2023, Paramedics Syed Ali and Raphaël Désautels responded to a fire call at a local residence. Upon arriving on scene, Paramedics Ali and Désautels entered the house, to discover the presence of thick black smoke. Despite the harmful, smoky conditions, Paramedic Désautels was able to locate an individual found on the floor inside the house. Paramedics Ali and Désautels took multiple turns going in and out of the property, putting themselves at great risk of inhaling deadly smoke, and were able to successfully extricate the individual from the house and provide immediate care and transport to a hospital.
Advanced Care Paramedics Yan Bellefeuille and Jean-François Fillion, and Primary Care Paramedics Stéphane Huppé and Christian Larochelle – United Counties of Prescott and Russell Paramedic Service
On May 11, 2023, Advanced Care Paramedics Yan Bellefeuille and Jean-François Fillion, and Primary Care Paramedics Stéphane Huppé and Christian Larochelle responded to a 9-1-1 call for a possible gunshot wound. Upon arriving on scene, an unidentified man walked out of the house towards them and they saw an injured Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) constable with his service revolver in his hands. A second OPP officer found inside the house was unconscious. Facing dangerous conditions, not knowing whether the unidentified man who they saw upon arrival was a suspect, the paramedics provided life saving care to both injured officers, removed them from an unsafe situation and transported them to a trauma centre as soon as possible.
Primary Care Paramedic Taylor Collins – York Region Paramedic and Senior Services
On September 9, 2023, Primary Care Paramedic Taylor Collins was heading home after a night shift when she witnessed a car erupt into flames. Paramedic Collins immediately pulled up to the scene and determined that two vehicles were involved in a head-on collision. Despite the potentially life-threatening risks of being exposed to dangerous flames, heat, and risk of explosion, she got out of her car and assisted an off-duty firefighter in dragging the occupants from one vehicle away from the flames. Paramedic Collins relocated two occupants from their engulfed vehicle to a safer space. Paramedic Collins’ steadfast commitment to care also extended to offering valuable assistance to the on-duty paramedics who arrived at the scene, to provide patient care.