Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: June 22, 2006
• Invested on: October 13, 2006

Patrizio Bartolozzi, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On February 24, 2005, Patrizio Bartolozzi rescued a nine-year-old boy from drowning in the North Saskatchewan River, in Edmonton, Alberta. Hearing the child's cries for help, Mr. Bartolozzi quickly ran along the river until he reached a spot where the boy was being swept closer to shore. Mr. Bartolozzi pulled off his coat and, in spite of the thin ice surface shifting beneath him, crawled to within a few metres of the panic-stricken child. As he neared the open water, he flung a corner of his jacket to the boy who managed to grab hold of it. Using all his strength, Mr. Bartolozzi then hauled the victim out of the frigid water and carried him a distance of 400 metres before collapsing from exhaustion.