Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent, Dennis J. Rogers, who has been awarded the Governor General's Medal of Bravery.
On February 18, 2002, Mr. Rogers risked his life to rescue a woman from a burning house in Welland, which is in my riding of Niagara Centre.
Mr. Rogers was driving by with his family when he noticed flames and thick smoke billowing from the house. He immediately pulled over and ran to the back door where an 11 year old boy told him that his mother was trapped inside the home. Getting no response to the calls to the woman, Mr. Rogers raced inside. Crouching and groping around under the blinding smoke, he followed the sounds of the victim's voice until he located her frozen with fear in a corner of the bathroom. As he gasped for air, he carried her outside moments before the House was fully engulfed in flames.
Congratulations Dennis. He truly is a hero.