Paramedics Honoured for Bravery After La Loche School Shooting

When tragedy struck the northern Saskatchewan community of La Loche, two paramedics ran toward danger while others were fleeing. Cousins Kalvin Jones and Darryl Morin, paramedics with the Keewatin Yatthe Regional Health Authority, were among the first responders to the Jan. 22, 2016 school shooting at Dene High School, fully aware the shooter was still inside the building.

Shortly before 1 p.m., Jones and Morin received the emergency call and immediately responded. Upon entering the school, they were met with chaos, uncertainty, and extreme risk. Despite the threat, they trusted RCMP officers to secure their path and followed them inside to begin providing life-saving care.

“I was thinking, OK, this guy could come out from anywhere,” Jones later recalled. Although parts of the area were secured, the shooter had not yet been located, adding to the danger faced by first responders.

Life-Saving Care Under Extreme Pressure

While performing CPR on one of the wounded victims, Jones experienced a moment that still stays with him. A door suddenly opened nearby, and for a split second, he feared the worst. Instead, it was a frightened student who had been hiding.

“I still have dreams of that every now and then,” Jones said. “But it’s gotten a lot better.”

With RCMP protection, Jones and Morin helped extricate multiple seriously injured victims, delivered emergency medical treatment on site, and later assisted hospital staff as part of a coordinated health-care response. Their actions were later described as compassionate, professional, and courageous under extraordinary stress.

Recognized for Courage and Commitment

On October 17, 2016, Lt.-Gov. Vaughn Solomon Schofield presented Jones and Morin with bronze medals from the Royal Canadian Humane Association at Government House in Regina. They were among 23 individuals honoured for heroism across 11 separate incidents.