A Johannesburg Paramedic has won the “Netcare911 Carer of the Year” award for his heroic actions during the recent flash flooding.
During the recent ‘NetCare911 annual Long Service awards’, Avi Lange, an advanced life support paramedic was hailed for being the overall winner of the ‘Carer of the Year Award 2016’!
It was on the 9th of November 2016 when Avi was heading back to base after attending an accident when the floods that wreacked havoc in Johannesburg uexpectedly hampered his movement.
Torrential rains caused massive havoc on Wednesday afternoon in and around Johannesburg with cars submerged on several city roads and highways‚ prompting widespread traffic gridlock. Flights out of OR Tambo International Airport were also delayed due to the bad weather.
While overlooking one of the flooded areas near the suburb of Orchards, Lange was approached by a man who said his wife and kids were trapped in their nearby home.
Without thinking twice, the paramedic rushed out of his response vehicle to attempt to save the man’s family.
“I could not get inside. They were on top of a bunk bed. I tried to calm them down. They were panicking and hysterical.”
At this point, Avi could only communicate with them from a window.
Avi ended up smashing the window, and using his bare hands to break the burglar bars to access the mother and five children. He managed to pull out them out one by one.
Lange said that once he got to the road, onlookers informed him that there was still an old woman in an adjacent unit.
“I managed to make contact with this old lady and get her out as well.”
When asked what he felt during the rescue, Lange said: “This is my passion, this is what I do. I am passionate about rescue. The reason I do what I do is to help people. I am lucky that I have the ability to do it. I didn’t even think – I heard that somebody was in danger and I went into action.”
This heroic act has earned Avi Lange – the overall winner for Carer of the Year 2016!
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