Officer first to house fire scene brings two women to safety

On May 2^nd at about 10:35am, Cst. Steve Luchies was on patrol in the city’s west end when a 911 call about dark smoke in the area of Majestic Drive and Woodroffe Avenue came over the air.

“I could actually see the smoke from my location, so I advised Dispatch I would attend,” said Cst. Luchies, a 19-year member of the Ottawa Police Service (OPS).

He was the first emergency responder to arrive. “I could see which house the smoke was coming from, so I ran inside.”

He found an elderly woman with mobility issues trying to get out after a fire broke out on the stove. Cst. Luchies carried to woman to safety.

“She told me her granddaughter was sleeping in the basement,” he said, “so I ran back in.”

He kicked the basement door in and yelled the girl’s name. At that point, he was overcome by smoke, so he ran outside, took some air and went right back in.

“I went down the stairs and fortunately, she was on her way up.” His yelling had awakened her. He helped her out of the residence.

This is the third time in his career Cst. Luchies has run into a fire. The first time a man had forgotten something cooking in his toaster oven and Cst. Luchies kicked the door in, not knowing whether or not someone was inside. The fire was quickly contained and the man was uninjured.

The second time, an 18-unit building was on fire. He and another officer ran down the hallways, banging on doors, ensuring everyone got out safely.

"Fires can spread so quickly," said Cst. Luchies."My hat's off to the fire

fighters who do this every day."

Cst. Luchies was temporarily assigned to patrol due to Covid-19 staffing requirements when this incident happened, but he has since returned to his position in an investigative section.