First Lethbridge: LPS member receives prestigious medal of bravery

A medal for those who risked their life to save someone in imminent danger has been presented to a 21-year-old Lethbridge police officer.

On April 8, 2017, a fire broke out in a house at Bridge Villa Estates caravan park in Lethbridge. One of the first to arrive at the scene was Const. Marco Pagliericci intervened as the house caught fire.

The officer began banging on windows and doors. An elderly woman managed to escape from the house and Pagliericci entered the house and found an elderly man with a disability lying on the couch. Police said he led the man outside as flames and thick smoke engulfed the unit.

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Fire destroys mobile home in North Lethbridge

The police officer then focused on evacuating other tenants from neighboring houses and securing the site until firefighters arrived.

For his quick thinking and acting, Pagliericci was awarded the Medal of Bravery on September 9 by Mary Simon, the Governor General of Canada.

LPS said it was the first to be issued to one of its members in its 120-year history.

Although nominated for the award in 2017, this year’s award was canceled due to the pandemic and COVID-19 restrictions.

Pagliericci is no stranger to awards, having served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 23 years. The police officer has previously been awarded the Gulf and Kuwait Medal, Canadian Peace Keeper Medal, NATO/OTAN Medal, United Nations Cyprus Medal and Canadian Forces Decoration with the 22-year-old bar.

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Mary Simon recognizes the “solemn” nature of the decorations for the ceremony of bravery amid the Queen’s death