The Lifesaving Society's Rescue Award of Merit may be awarded to Lifesaving Society award holders for aquatic or non-aquatic rescues. Non-award holders may be eligible, but only for water-related rescues. Lifeguards and instructors who perform rescues in the course of their employment are not normally eligible, but they may be eligable for a Lifesaving Commendation certificate instead.
The criteria for deciding whether to recognize an individual include:
- ability to recognize the emergency
- willingness to intervene
- evidence of good judgment
Neither the outcome (successful or not) nor the degree of risk involved are criteria in the decision. Timeliness is an issue. Normally, recognition is only given within 24 months of the rescue.
Fill in this form to submit a nomination.
Once approved, the Rescue Award of Merit certificate and a citation are prepared. Normally, we look for a public presentation opportunity like the Society's Annual Meeting, a school assembly, town or city council meeting.
Rescue Award of Merit recipients embody the Lifesaving Society's motto - Whomsoever you see in distress, recognize in them a fellow human being. / Quemqunque miserum videris hominem scias
Read about some of our most recent Rescue Award of Merit heroes below.
Avery fam and tessa kitchen - peterborough
It was just after 7 p.m. on October 6, 2025, when Avery Fam and Tessa Kitchen were clocking out of their shifts at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre. As they left the building, they noticed a man lying face-down in the grass. Avery went back into the building to report it to the front desk, but once back outside, she assessed the situation a little more closely.
Avery determined that he was unconscious and not breathing. Using her first aid training, she rolled him over and began performing CPR while Tessa assisted. Other people saw them and came over to help by calling 911.
Eventually, the man could once again breathe independently, but with weak, shallow breaths. Over the phone, EMS instructed Avery and Tessa to perform several tests to gauge responsiveness, and the man was able to respond to pressure being applied to parts of his body. An additional staff member came out with a first aid kit and an ice pack.
When the ambulance arrived, Avery and Tessa assisted in getting the man inside. He was taken to the hospital and was eventually cleared for release.
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The Lifesaving Society presented its Rescue Award of Merit to Avery Fam and Tessa Kitchen on April 10, 2026 in Markham, Ontario.
Callahan and Lyla Kivell – Leamington
Fourteen-year-old Lyla Kivell was in her bedroom on the evening of July 8, 2025, when she spotted a man in distress in Lake Erie. She alerted her fifteen-year-old brother and fellow trained lifesaver, Callahan.
As Lyla dialed 911, Callahan grabbed lifejackets and began swimming toward the man, who was struggling to hold onto the side of a flipped Sea-Doo several hundred feet from shore.
With adrenaline pumping, Callahan swam through rough waves, calling out words of encouragement to keep the man alert and calm. The man’s head bobbed in and out of the water, exhausted and weak. Once close enough, Callahan tossed a lifejacket and instructed the man to hold on. Gratefully, the victim clutched the lifejacket and was finally able to stop struggling and float.
From there, the two drifted about half a kilometre toward shore, where Lyla was carefully keeping an eye on them. Essex County OPP arrived to help them out of the water and assess the life-threatening situation. Once safely on shore, the victim was able to rest and recover.
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The Lifesaving Society presented its Rescue Award of Merit to Callahan and Lyla Kivell on April 10, 2026 in Markham, Ontario.
Cohen White and Ryan Atkinson – Woodstock
Teens Cohen White and Ryan Atkinson were heading to the Southside Aquatic Centre for their part-time swim-teaching jobs when they noticed thick, black smoke coming from a nearby neighbourhood on April 1, 2025.
Without hesitation, they headed towards it, finding a house up in flames. An elderly woman stood outside. Cohen and Ryan approached her gently. She was disoriented but started to go back towards the burning house, wanting to look for her cats. The boys knew this was not a good idea, as the smoke was so thick, so they carefully guided her away from the house and spoke to her to help calm her down.
As they stood with her, an off-duty firefighter, Chad Paton, also arrived and agreed with Cohen and Ryan that she should not go back in. Chad dialed 911 and worked with the fire crew that arrived shortly after, while the boys remained with the woman, keeping her safely away and as calm as possible.
This likely saved her life, as the Woodstock fire chief later stated that, had she re-entered the home, she likely would have become a victim of the fire. Instead, she was treated for smoke inhalation and was released the same day, safe and alive.
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The Lifesaving Society presented its Rescue Award of Merit to Cohen White and Ryan Atkinson on April 10, 2026 in Markham, Ontario.
Ottley Whitby, Owen Hollowell, Emily Tran, Jacob Miess, and Kaitlyn Burwell - Huntsville
On July 3, 2023, five friends—Ottley Whitby, Owen Hollowell, Emily Tran, Jacob Miess, and Kaitlyn Burwell—were returning to Toronto after a camping trip. They stopped at a McDonald's in Huntsville for lunch, sitting at a table next to an older couple. Without warning, the man collapsed. His wife immediately called for help, and the group, all trained lifeguards, rushed into action.
Owen and Jacob quickly assessed the man’s vitals while Ottley called 911. Kaitlyn rushed to confirm an address for Ottley to pass onto EMS, and Emily went to locate an AED. With the address confirmed, Kaitlyn joined Emily in her search.
The unresponsive man was not breathing and had a weak pulse. Jacob and Owen began CPR, clearing the man’s airway of food and improvising a makeshift face shield for rescue breathing until Emily and Kaitlyn arrived with the AED they found at a Shoppers Drugmart down the street.
After administering two shocks, they continued resuscitation efforts, rotating responsibilities to ensure high-quality, uninterrupted care. As paramedics arrived, the man began to breathe on his own. He was transported to the hospital, and the group later learned he had suffered a cardiac arrest but was expected to recover.
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The Lifesaving Society presented its Rescue Award of Merit to Ottley Whitby, Owen Hollowell, Emily Tran, Jacob Miess, and Kaitlyn Burwell on April 11, 2025 in Markham, Ontario.
Owen beresh – Stoney creek
On a nice August evening Owen Beresh was playing tennis with his father, Brad, and cousin, Logan, at Valley Park in Stoney Creek. During their match, Brad bent down to catch his breath, but suddenly went unconscious and collapsed on the court. Owen and Logan rushed over and found that Brad was turning blue and wasn’t breathing.
Owen recently took a First Aid class and knew what he needed to do – he started CPR. Logan ran down the street to his house alerting his own parents of the incident. Other witnesses at the tennis court called 911. Logan returned with his parents in tow and Logan's father provided ventilation while Owen administered compressions. They continued this way for ten minutes until paramedics arrived.
The paramedics indicated that Brad suffered a cardiac arrest they used a defibrillator, but vital signs remained absent. Brad was loaded onto a stretcher and taken into the ambulance, where he regained vital signs and was taken to the hospital.
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The Lifesaving Society presented its Rescue Award of Merit to Owen Beresh on April 11, 2025 in Markham, Ontario.
Kyle Brown – DEERHURST
While enjoying a nice morning at Deerhurst’s indoor pool on June 20, 2022, Kyle Brown was alerted by Sara Farnell that a woman in the pool was lying face-down for an unknown amount of time. That woman was Yvette, who was out for a swim with her toddler daughter. The daughter was wearing a lifejacket and was floating unattended into the middle of the pool. Kyle and another witness, Jennifer Farnell, immediately jumped into action. On Kyle’s instruction, Sara went to call 911, and Kyle entered the pool to turn Yvette over. She not breathing. Kyle brought her to the edge of the pool, where he and Jennifer safely removes her and her daughter.
Kyle began CPR right away. After two attempts at a head tilt chin lift, he was able to open the airway and deliver two breaths. There was no sign of pulse or improvement, so Kyle performed chest compressions and two more breaths. It was then that a weak brachial pulse was found and Yvette’s upper body began moving as she came to semi-consciousness.
The Deerhurst Resort staff arrived and helped Kyle and Jennifer get Yvette into the recovery position. They took over secondary care and made contact with Yvette’s husband, who was elsewhere in the hotel. Kyle was sure to inform Yvette that her daughter was safe.
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The Lifesaving Society presented its Rescue Award of Merit to Kyle Brown on April 11, 2025 in Markham, Ontario.
Jared Moore – Killaloe
On a February day in 2024, off-duty Provincial Police Constable Jared Moore and his family were walking along the shore of Round Lake in Killaloe. At the same time, a pair of snowmobilers were attempting to cross a section of open water near the mouth of a river. Jared saw the first snowmobiler make it across, and the second plunge into the cold water.
Jared ran to help without hesitation. He worked with the first snowmobiler, who was the husband of the victim, in an attempt to rescue the wife. She was experiencing cold water shock and losing the ability to move. As he reached for his wife, the husband slipped and fell into the icy water alongside her.
Luckily, Jared was able to pull them both out of the water safely, and deliver first aid until paramedics arrived. The couple were transported to the hospital where they were treated for hypothermia.
Jared’s humanitarianism did not end there. Later that day, while still off-duty, Jared picked up the husband and wife from the hospital. He drove them back to Round Lake and assisted them in retrieving their snowmobiles.
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The Lifesaving Society presented its Rescue Award of Merit to Jared Moore on April 11, 2025 in Markham, Ontario.
Derek Crespy – Collingwood
Lifelong competitive and open water swimmer Derek was out for a swim with his family at Sunset Point in Collingwood when he noticed a young boy in trouble. Derek, a Bronze Medallion award holder, noticed that the boy was being pulled further from shore while his family looked on, unable to help.
Derek leapt into action, grabbing a ring buoy and climbing down the rocks to take on the choppy waters of Georgian Bay. Keeping his eyes on the boy, he swam towards him, but the ring buoy kept catching on the rocks slowing him down. Derek made the decision to leave the ring buoy and continue the 100 metre swim.
The boy’s head was now bobbing in and out of the water, and just as Derek reached him, he slipped under. Derek grabbed his hand and pulled him back to surface. He then wrapped an arm around the boy and did sidestroke to bring him to the safety of the shore.
A police officer and another bystander helped Derek bring the child, who was now only semi-conscious, out of the water. Paramedics soon arrived and were able to treat the youngster and take him to hospital, where he received further treatment and recovered.
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The Lifesaving Society presented its Rescue Award of Merit to Derek Crespy on April 11, 2025 in Markham, Ontario.