Modest heroes receive Medal of Bravery

by Laura Walz [email protected] Two Powell River residents have received Canada’s Medal of Bravery for rescuing a man trapped in his burning vehicle.

Rob Bombardir and Russell Werner received their medals from Governor-General David Johnston during a ceremony on Friday, October 28 at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

“It was very surreal,” said Bombardir of the event. “It was exciting to stand in front of the governor general, shake his hand and talk with him.”

Werner said it was a much grander experience than he had ever imagined it would be. “It was quite an honour,” he said. “I felt humbled. It’s a little odd being the centre of attention and being singled out for something that just seemed so natural to do. At the same time, it was quite a moving experience to be honoured and to be there and be recognized for that.”

On August 30, 2008, Bombardir and Werner, a professional firefighter who works in Vancouver but lives in Powell River, pulled the driver of a van involved in a head-on collision from the wreckage. The van was on fire and the driver was pinned in the vehicle. The accident happened in the 3800 block of Marine Avenue just after 3 pm.

Alerted by the sound of a collision, Bombardir, who was in his yard on Gordon Avenue, and Werner, who also lives on Gordon, rushed to the scene to find the van on fire and the driver trapped against the dashboard. Unable to pry open the badly damaged front doors, they managed to break a window and open the rear passenger-side door. They then had to pull out numerous large items from the vehicle before they could enter the vehicle. Through the heat and smoke of the fire creeping up from beneath the vehicle, they made their way to the victim, who was screaming for help. They instructed onlookers to spray water onto the victim’s feet, as they were engulfed in flames. With determined effort, Bombardir and Werner were able to pull the victim free and take him a safe distance away.

Bombardir’s wife Barb, and his seven-year-old son Brent, went with him to Ottawa. They attended the ceremony in Rideau Hall as well as having a private tour of Parliament. “That was fantastic,” said Bombardir. The family had their picture taken in the speaker’s chair and sat in the prime minister’s seat, he added.

Johnston talked hockey with his son, Bombardir said. “I found him to be a very down-to-earth man, fantastic to speak with,” he said.

The ceremony included a description of events for each of the 42 recipients of the medal. “There were some pretty unbelievable stories,” Bombardir said.

He would never change what he did to help the man trapped in the van, Bombardir said. He said he spoke to a police officer at the event about why some people help in a situation like that and others stand by and look. “I asked him, what makes us do this, jump in and help someone,” Bombardir said. “He said if you think back to your childhood when you were a kid playing on a playground, if there was somebody hurt, what would you do?”

Bombardir replied that he would take the child to a teacher or to the office. “He said, that’s when this started in you. I think it’s the way we were raised. That’s the way my mom and dad raised us.”

Werner was also modest about his efforts to rescue the man. “I like to think that anybody would have done that, just jumped in and helped,” he said.

Bombardir and Werner were honoured together at the ceremony at Rideau Hall, but each received the Medal of Bravery individually from Johnston.

Werner said it was a unique experience. “Johnston said congratulations and thank you very much for our courage in helping out when it was needed,” said Werner. “He said that we set a fine example for the rest of the people in Canada.”

Werner’s wife and two boys went with him to Ottawa.

Bombardir and Werner received plaques in recognition of their “selfless act of bravery” from the City of Powell River in October 2008. They attended a city council meeting for the presentation. They are expected to attend a city council meeting in the near future to recognize the honour of receiving the Medal of Bravery.