POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 21 PANS in the community Mike McGee was ready to head home for the day early Friday morning, but helped save a life instead. The 31-year-old Charlottetown police constable’s 12-hour shift was coming to a close when he got a call to an active fire. McGee and police partner Const. Pat Hogan were first on the scene around 6:30 a.m. as white smoke billowed from a three-storey building at the corner of Prince Street and Grafton Street. He knew a lot of people lived in the building — 11 as it turned out — but he didn’t know how many were inside at that moment. A quick decision needed to be made. He and Hogan entered the building. Several people were making their way down the stairs. The two officers were told that people were still inside the building. McGee and Hogan headed up to the second floor where there was only a small amount of smoke. They shooed a couple people down the stairs. Hogan got a man out of a room on the second floor. McGee is not sure why the man had not scurried from the building on his own. McGee saw a person coming down the stairs from the third floor carrying a fire extinguisher. The man he thought to be a volunteer firefighter mumbled something incomprehensible. Thick, black smoke welcomed McGee when he arrived on the third floor. He quickly saw through an open door a person passed out in a room. McGee hauled the heavyset woman out of the room to the top of the stairs. The officer, overcome by the smoke, stumbled down the stairs. Hogan and Sgt. Shane Carr rushed up to the third floor. They got the woman to the second floor, where McGee assisted in getting the woman out of the building safely. She was treated in hospital for smoke inhalation and later released. “It took the three of us to get her,’’ said McGee, who did not seem to relish the media attention for his heroic deed. “At the end of the day it wasn’t just a one-man operation.’’ McGee, who has been with Charlottetown Police Services for four years, concedes getting the woman down from the third floor and out of the building was not an easy exercise. “Everything is tight in those (old) buildings and the hallways are narrow,’’ he said. “It happened so fast... we all worked together and we got everybody out... we just did what had to be done.’’ Dennis Joseph O’Brien, 50, of Charlottetown has been charged with arson causing bodily harm and breach of probation following the fire that extensively damaged the building housing Rose’s Barber Shop. He was remanded in custody. As originally published on May 14, 2015 by Jim Day, The Guardian Selfless action by police officer averts tragedy JIM DAY/ THE GUARDIAN “It happened so fast... we all worked together and we got everybody out... we just did what had to be done.’’ Charlottetown police officer downplays his role in saving woman from fire
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