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2- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday September 26, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Oakville man is Carnegie Hero By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Homecoming and fallfair Open House Saturday, October 20 10:00 a.m. ­ 2:00 p.m. Take a campus tour and see all that Appleby has to offer! saturday, september 29 All members of the Appleby community alumni parents and friends ­ are welcome. Events run 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. · Car Rally · Sports games · KidZone · Barbecue lunch · Yearbook pickup 540 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville 905-845-4681, ext. 252 enrol@appleby.on.ca www.appleby.on.ca An Oakville man's heroic actions during a deadly house fire have resulted in his recognition by the Carnegie Hero Fund. On the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 25, 2006 Constable Patrick Duerden, 27, of the Toronto Police Service was working an off-duty paid assignment in a Toronto neighbourhood when a call came over his radio reporting a nearby house fire in which an elderly woman was trapped. The fire had started in the bedroom of the one-storey home and quickly filled it with heavy smoke. "I ran around the corner because it was only about a half block away, and when I got to the house there was a friend of the victim who brought me to the back of the house," said Duerden. "I could see smoke inside the house." Only on street level work for nine months, Duerden did not hesitate in entering the house to find the woman. His first attempt, however, was met with failure as the intensity of the fire and thick black smoke quickly forced him to retreat. "I went inside and ended up getting a big mouthful of smoke, so I went back outside grabbed a Constable Patrick Duerden breath of fresh air and then crawled inside," he said. After crawling about 20 feet from the entrance Duerden came upon the homeowner Catherine Blackwood, 70, who was laying unconscious on the floor of the living room a short distance away from the room where the fire was blazing. "I could tell that she was burned pretty bad. She was still breathing, which I was kind of amazed at, but she wasn't responsive," he said. Grabbing the victim by her legs Duerden then retraced his steps and pulled her out to the back porch where she was attended to by fire services personnel who, Duerden says, arrived around 30 seconds later. Both Blackwood and Duerden were taken to hospital, but despite Duerden's quick response and his heroic efforts, Blackwood died later that day. Duerden was treated for smoke inhalation and recovered. About a week ago, Duerden learned that his efforts on that day had been recognized with the awarding of a Carnegie medal of heroism. The Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Hero Fund Commission meets five times annually to choose honourees, who are brought to its attention through newspaper articles or tips on its website. Recipients receive a bronze medal and $5,000 US. "I'm extremely honoured to say the very least. I wasn't expecting anything like this," said Duerden, who noted that fame or money were not on his mind when he went into that smoke filled house. "It was one of those situations where if it was a relative of mine or a friend of mine I would want someone to do all that they thought they could do to help them," he said. Duerden is among 19 people recognized this month for heroic acts by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, which has awarded 9,130 medals and $29.8 million since its founding in 1904. SOLID WOOD BEDROOMS by DURHAM up to or factory 1,250 rebate* free 10-year parts & labour coverage* $ 1,500 All our Collections On Sale NOW! The Affinity yTM Air Conditioner and Modulating Furnace from York. The most advanced units available. At York, we've developed an air conditioner that has QuietDrive noise-reduction technology, y R410A refrigerant for environmental friendliness and a selection of seven colours to choose from. 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