When he and his partner were informed that an apartment building was on fire in Picton, he called for backup right away and then arrived on the scene. He went into the burning building, rescuing two people from the first floor. He re-entered the building when he found a woman looking for her son. He led her out, along with another resident.  After leading her and another resident out, he tried to enter the building again but could not due to the heat and smoke.

 "As soon as I came out, two other officers from my detachment, Troy Bellehumeur and Larry Hall, went in the west side of the building to a rear apartment. (They) broke a window, and crawled in to get someone in there," said O'Byrne.

Thanks to his actions and that of other officers, firefighters and volunteers, a total of 16 residents were evacuated from the building.

O'Byrne was honoured with the 2003 Ontario Medal for Police Bravery, which is decided on by an independent group of community members and    former police officers. Firefighters were presented with the Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery at the same ceremony. In both cases the officer or fire fighter must be nominated for bravery in the line of duty  which much be endorsed by their chief. The committees review the nominations and make recommendations to the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.  

A total of 161 Firefighters have been honoured since 1976 and 164 police officers since 1975. Ten firefighters and 10 police officers were recognized at this year's ceremony.

 "It was certainly a pleasant surprise for all the members of the Prince  Edward detachment to have one of our very own honoured with such a prestigious award," said Staff Sergeant Bernie Gaw. "It's one of the truths of any career in    emergency services; you look at a lot of these tasks as just being part of the job and it's certainly gratifying to have one of our very own recognized for having  gone above and beyond."

 O'Byrne, was recognized for commitment and leadership being the first on the scene said Gaw. The officer, who received no formal training in fire rescue, has been with the OPP for five years. He is a graduate of Royal Military College of Canada (’94) and a 10 year veteran of the Canadian Artillery.

 O'Byrne himself is modest, also recognizing the outstanding work of his colleagues, Bellehumeur and Hall. All three were recognized soon after    by receiving     the Commissioner's Citations for Bravery which is presented within the OPP.

 "They went in and risked their lives too," said O'Byrne.