NZSA launches the Saved a Life Medal

January saw the launch of the new award initiative by the NZSA. The Saved a Life Medal will recognise and celebrate those workers within the security industry who have saved a life, or lives, through their actions.

The initiative, notes Gary, builds on the well-received and very successful Covid Guardian award programme that the NZSA ran during the lockdown periods.

“The medal will be specific to either an individual security worker or a team, where their actions have directly saved a life, or lives,” he said. Examples include:

• 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

Security personnel are often first responders to emergency incidents and the actions that they take can directly lead to the saving of lives.

“Whilst these professionals don’t seek accolades or recognition, the Saved a Life Medal programme provides a way in which the community can support and recognise those who demonstrate the very best in security professionalism,” states the NZSA website. “The award programme will also help to recognise our industry’s security personnel who face the daily potential of making critical decisions or taking action to save a life or property.”

Nominations for the Saved a Life Medal may be submitted online via the NZSA website (www.security.org. nz).

The nomination process is very straight forward with qualification criteria outlined on the website. Nominations can be for an individual or a team and can be submitted by employers, colleagues, customers or the general public.

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.

All winners will be presented with an attractive medal (which they get to keep) and a certificate, and their actions will be profiled within the bi-monthly NZSA Newsletter and on NZSA social media platforms.

Recipients will also be recognised in a roll call at the Annual Security Awards event and will automatically be nominated in the appropriate award category for each year.

In his January monthly update to NZSA members, Gary encouraged security providers to support the new initiative “and ensure that we get the opportunity to recognise the often-unsung heroic work performed by many security workers.”