On Sept. 8, 1972, 15-year-old Edward Joseph Duff of St. John’s, N.L., dove into the sea near Torbay in a valiant attempt to save the life of a friend who had fallen in. He managed multiple times to pull her within reach of the rocks, but, unfortunately, was dragged back by the waves each time. 

Madden Sarver rescued his severely injured brother after their helicopter crashed in a remote mountainous area near Grande Cache, Alta. on Jan. 30, 2009. 

William Ayotte risked his life to rescue a woman who was being attacked by a polar bear in Churchill, Man. The bear then turned on him.

First Officer Leslie Palmer of the Canadian Coast Guard was awarded a Canadian Decoration for Bravery after braving a severe winter storm to rescue two fishermen stranded on the shores of the Grenville Channel, near Prince Rupert, B.C.

Marie-Claude Élie was awarded a Canadian Decoration for Bravery after bringing medical assistance to dozens of people trapped beneath the ruins of a collapsed schoolhouse in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Nov. 7, 2008