A firefighter in Alnwick/Halidmand Township has been named a recipient of a Medal of Merit for his off-duty rescue of a man and a pet from a burning vehicle a year ago.
According to the Fire Fighters’ Association of Ontario, among this year’s recipients from a Medal of Merit is Matt Dickison, a volunteer firefighter with Alnwick/Haldimand Township in Northumberland County. The award is given to firefighters for “meritorious service above and beyond the call of duty” during an emergency event in which a firefighter showed good judgment and/or took a “calculated risk” to save a life.
According to the FFAO, around midnight on Jan. 6, 2020, Dickison and his wife were driving on their way home when they spotted a vehicle in the ditch along Conuty Road 23 north of Grafton.
Dickison discovered an unresponsive man in the driver’s seat with the engine revving. According to the FFAO, Dickison was able to insert his arm through a partially open window to unlock the door.
Just as he entered the vehicle, the car burst into flames, the FFAO reports. Dickison ran back to his car and told his wife to call 9-1-1. He then returned to the crashed vehicle, unbuckled the driver and pulled him safely out.
Dickison also rescued a small Husky dog from the back seat.
“I have no doubt if Matt and his wife did not notice and stop for that car in the ditch the end results would have been much worse,” said Alnwick/Haldimand Fire Department chief Mark Diminie.
“In my opinion the driver and his dog would have perished in the burning car without Matt’s actions.”
The fire department nominated Dickison for the Medal of Merit, noting he had been a firefighter for just over a year at the time of the incident.
Each nomination is reviewed by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office, the Mutual Insurance Association of Ontario and the Fire Fighters’ Association of Ontario. The awards will be presented at a later date.
Since the FFAO’s inception in 1983, 55 Medal of Merits have been awarded for 33 separate incidents involving firefighters from 25 fire departments across Ontario.
Firefighters from Centre Wellington and the Township of Wainfleet were also named recipients for 2020.