The Governor General awarded medals of bravery to five New Brunswickers Thursday during a poignant ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

Ryan Atwin, Evan Green and Nicholas Lannigan, all of Oromocto, and Robert Donelle, of Fredericton, were honored for getting a 60-year-old disabled man out of a burning basement apartment in Oromocto on July 30, 2007.

The four friends were aged 15 to 17 at the time.

"After kicking the door open, they made their way to the badly burned victim, but were forced back by the intense heat," the crowd was told.

"In spite of the imminent danger, the rescuers rushed back into the apartment, which was filled with spreading flames and dense smoke. They pulled the man out to safety, seconds before oxygen tanks inside the house exploded."

Sadly the man later died of his injuries.

Jerrica Lynn Bartlett, of St. Stephen, also received a medal of bravery.

She was 11 years old when she saved her 85-year-old great-grand uncle from drowning after an ATV accident in Grand Manan on Aug. 4, 2007. He was trapped under his ATV in the water, so she jumped in, kept his head above the surface and towed him to the edge of the pond.

The five New Brunswickers were among 47 Canadians given bravery decorations by Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean.

The decorations recognize selfless acts that saved lives and sometimes cost rescuers their own. One U.S. Coast Guard officer received the Star of Courage, while 46 others were given the prestigious Medal of Bravery.