Medal of Bravery
Awarded on: 1999-12-21
Invested on: 2000-12-08
On May 22, 1999, Mark Joss rescued a two-year-old boy from a house fire in Welland, Ontario. Mr. Joss was driving by when he noticed smoke and flames pouring from the roof vent of a house. Alerted that a toddler was trapped on the second floor, he ran upstairs twice, yelling for the boy, but each time the heat and smoke forced him to retreat. He then located a garden hose and, while others doused the flames, he resumed his search and found the little boy, unconscious on the hallway floor. Once outside, Mr. Joss handed the child to the paramedics before collapsing.