Calgarians to be honoured for bravery by Canada's Governor General

The governor general has awarded more than 4,200 Canadians with Decorations of Bravery since 1972. The medals are given to individuals "who have risked their lives to try to save someone in imminent danger." (Supplied)

Canada's Governor General will be honouring a group of five Calgarians, along with other Canadians, this week for their selfless acts of courage that saved the lives of others.

Governor General Mary Simon will be presenting 41 Decorations of Bravery during a ceremony in Ottawa at Rideau Hall at 11 a.m. on Friday.

Among this year's recipients are five Calgarians who put their lives on the line to save others from harm – Margaret Irene Bell, Kaden Clouston, Mackenzie Terrance Vatter-Martineau, Kimberly Cossette and Russell Fee.

Bell is being honoured for rescuing a man who was drowning in the Glenmore Reservoir on Aug. 1, 2017.

According to a release, Bell was walking in the area when she noticed the man in distress.

"Without hesitating, she ran to the shore and jumped into the water while reassuring the victim. She swam some 50 metres in the very cold, deep water to reach the man, who was panicking and grabbed onto her," the website reads.

She was able to calm the victim down and eventually swam with him back to shore.

By the time Bell got him there, she says he was "hypothermic," but was conscious and breathing.

The Calgary Fire Department also honoured Bell with a Beyond the Call award in 2018 for her actions.

Fee will be receiving his own medal of bravery for his rescue of a family from a "very rare" wolf attack in Lake Louise in 2019.

"Woken by the sound of screaming, Mr. Fee ran to his neighbour’s campsite and witnessed a grey wolf with its jaws locked on a man’s arm attempting to drag him out of a destroyed tent," the website reads.

"Charging toward the wolf, Mr. Fee forcefully kicked the animal until it released its grip on the victim."

While the wolf remained inside the campsite, Fee threw rocks at it, instructing the family to take shelter inside their vehicle.

After the event, Parks Canada conservation officers tracked down and destroyed the wolf, which was in very poor health – likely the reason why it attacked.

The governor general has handed awards to more than 4,200 recipients in recognition of their "acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances" since 1972.

The rest of this year's recipients can be found online.

Anyone can be nominated for a Canadian honour, the governor general's office says on its website.