Brady Valeriote wrote about what he knew. His dad, Matt, is a Guelph firefighter, so when it came to crafting a speech for a St. Patrick Catholic School speech competition, Brady, 11, wrote about fire safety.
The boy had no idea that he would go all the way to the all-school finals, making hundreds of people aware of fire safety in the process.
John Gibson heard the fire alarm go off in his building on Grange Street in Guelph. He had some fire safety training and fearlessly rushed to the second floor where he located a small fire in a hallway.
Knowing the fire would grow unless he did something, Gibson hurried to activate a small extinguisher, dousing the flames. He protected people and property.
In an unprecedented gesture of civilian recognition, the Guelph Fire Department honoured Valeriote and Gibson during a ceremony at the 50 Wyndham Street fire station on Thursday. Their accomplishments were highlighted and they received commemorative plaques.
About 20 members of the fire service were on hand, including chief Andy MacDonald, Tony Sabatini, chief of fire prevention, and deputy chiefs John Osborne and Dave Elloway.
Sabatini emceed. He said Brady broadcast and amplified an important fire safety message at each level of the speech competition, informing growing numbers of people at each stage.
“We thought it was necessary to acknowledge his message of fire safety,” he told the gathering.
He said Gibson knew what to do when a fire started in his building. His training in the use of small fire extinguishers was indispensable, and he put out the fire before it could grow, and before the fire trucks arrived.
“I just wanted to give a message of fire safety in front of my class at school,” Valeriote said in an interview. “I had no idea I would make it that far in the competition.” He finished third in the all-school final.
“I’m just really happy,” he said. “I picked a topic that meant something to me.”
Gibson said he didn’t think, he just acted when he put the fire out.
“As soon at the alarm went I grabbed the fire extinguisher and did what I had to do,” he said. “I’m sure glad they were all safe in the building.”
Sabatini said citations are generally given internally to fire personnel who go beyond the call of duty, but in these cases “incredible things” were done that needed to be recognized.