Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: September 9, 2008
• Invested on: June 19, 2009

William Joseph Fitzpatrick, M.B.
Mackenzie Ramesh Smythe Walker, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On August 2, 2006, Mac Walker and Bill Fitzpatrick rescued a co-worker who was trapped inside an industrial boiler, in Poplar Creek, Alberta. Two men had been cleaning the inside of the boiler when they decided to come down to escape the 60-degrees-Celsius heat. The descent mechanism jammed and the men were trapped on a swing stage inside the boiler, some 42 metres from the ground. One of the men was eventually rescued by the emergency response team. Fearing for the second worker's life, Messrs. Fitzpatrick and Walker got onto another swing stage, made their way up to the victim and, using a pole, pulled him towards them before bringing him to safety. Sadly, the victim died in the hospital six days later.