First recipients of NZSA Saved a Life Medal announced

Security personnel are often first responders to a diverse range of incidents and emergency situations and the actions that they take can directly lead to the saving of lives. And this has been amply demonstrated just two months after New Zealand’s peak security industry body launched its awards programme recognising the life-saving actions of security personnel.

“We are thrilled to announce the first recipients of the NZSA Saved a Life Medal,” stated the NZSA in a message to its members. “The calibre of the nominations has been outstanding”.

The first round of Saved a Life Medal recipients are:

• Leitualamavae Vaa and Shelley Herbert, Armourguard Security

• Lily Wilson, Alpha Protection Services

• Mike Fairbrother, Alarm Solutions

On 10 December 2022 an altercation occurred between a couple at the Otahuhu Rail Station that resulted in the female being extremely upset and suicidal, threatening to jump over the rail bridge.

Leitualamavae and Shelley initially held the woman’s hands and provided reassurance, however after calming her down the woman became agitated again and ran to the rail bridge and started climbing over the rail, forcing Leitualamavae and Shelley to pull her back down and away from the rail. They continued to hold and gently restrain the woman pending attendance from emergency services.

On 28 October 2022 Lily Watson was working with a colleague doing her patrol route in the Christchurch CBD. They had finished their lockdown as scheduled and were completing their logbook entry for the customer when Lily heard a loud cracking sound coming from inside the premise, she felt uneasy and told her partner they should investigate, even though it would put them slightly behind on their patrol.

After re-entering the complex Lily could hear an odd buzzing sound and when she investigated she found the cleaner lying on the ground next to the still going floor polisher and with a large head wound and having a seizure.

Lily immediately had her partner call an ambulance whilst she placed the cleaner into the recovery position. She then retrieved a nearby defibrillator and followed the instructions of the 111 operator until the critical response team arrived with skilled paramedics. The gentleman was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and was later reported as being in a serious but stable condition with a potential brain bleed.

Mike was recently commuting through the Christchurch city centre and was about to turn at a busy intersection when a very elderly lady wobbled on the footpath and then fell heavily, and face first, into the path of his vehicle.

Mike carefully manoeuvred around her, positioning his vehicle to create a protective barrier between her and oncoming traffic, and then went to her assistance. He sat with her and provided initial first aid until emergency services arrived and was commended by attending police for his actions in diverting traffic and providing immediate assistance and support.

The Saved a Life Medal was introduced in January by the NZSA to recognise and celebrate those workers within the security industry who have saved a life, or lives, through their actions.

The NZSA welcomes nominations from employers, customers, work colleagues, emergency service providers and members of the public who can verify that the actions of a Security Officer, or a Security Team, directly contributed to the saving of a life.

Nominations must be received within four months of the incident and be supported by evidence such as media reporting, letters of acknowledgement or witness statements.

The actions of the security worker should fall within the following situations:

• Assisting or removing a person, or persons, from life threatening situations

• Providing care to a person, or persons, that has resulting in their surviving life-threatening injuries

• Preventing a person, or persons, from causing life threatening harm to others

• Preventing a person, or persons from causing life threatening harm to themselves

• Identifying and removing risks that if unmitigated, could have caused life threatening harm to others

All nominations will be assessed by the NZSA executive, and recipients of the Saved a Life Medal will be recognised and profiled in the bi-monthly NZSA newsletter and on the NZSA social media platforms, and will also receive an attractive inscribed award which they will retain.

Recipients of the Saved a Life Medal will be honoured with a role call at the annual New Zealand Security Awards event and will automatically be included as a nominee under the appropriate award category.

To make a nomination, see the NZSA website for details.