Seven Canadians honoured for heroism

People from across the country among those receiving Carnegie medals this year

PITTSBURGH— Seven Canadians are among two dozen people being honoured with the latest Carnegie medals for heroism.

They include Adam James Tarnowski, 31, of Onoway, Alta., who helped rescue a man from a crashed and burning truck in Stony Plain, Alta., in July 2014.

John W. Gallie, 28, of Toronto, and Craig Alexander Morash, 43, of Goodwood, N.S., are recognized for rescuing several people from a burning home in Glace Bay, N.S., in May 2014.

Two Halifax residents, Stephen Ross, 57, and Keiren J. Tompkins, 59, are being honoured by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission for rescuing a man who fell through ice in Baddeck, N.S., in January 2014.

Patrick Smith, 44, of Pembroke, Ont., gets a medal for rescuing a man from drowning in the Ottawa River in July 2013.

The seventh Canadian included on the list is Daniel Patrick Greene, 54, of Uxbridge, Ont., who rescued a man who fell through ice while driving an all-terrain vehicle on Buckhorn Lake in Trent Lakes, Ont., in January 2015.

The medals are named for Pittsburgh steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who was inspired by stories of heroism during a coal mine disaster that killed 181people, including a miner and an engineer who died trying to rescue others. The commission investigates stories of heroism and awards medals and cash several times a year. It has given away $38 million to 9,845 awardees or their families since 1904.