14 January
The quick actions of Probation Officer Jonn King led to a person being rescued from a house where the garage was on fire, in Waitakere earlier this week.
Jonn was driving on Swanson Road when he noticed smoke coming from a residential property, he pulled over in his car and decided to investigate. When he got nearer the house he realised there was a lot of smoke and raced back to his car to get a fire extinguisher.
“It was quite instinctive really, I saw smoke and knew something was wrong so I decided to stop and take a look. I could see the smoke was getting quite thick and I knew I had to help - it just seemed the natural thing to do.”
Armed with the fire extinguisher Jonn was joined by some neighbours who helped break the door down and find the male occupant in the house and take him outside. Jonn then used first aid to check the man’s condition and also called emergency services.
While Jonn is playing down his role in the rescue, Lynda Campbell, Community Probation and Psychological Services Waitakere Assistant Area Manager thinks he’s a bonafide hero.
“His actions are a credit to him and we’re all very proud of him. He didn’t think twice about getting involved and his timely intervention helped save someone from serious harm. We all think his actions showed real bravery.
"We’re planning on recommending Jonn for a Corrections Chief Executive’s Award, which recognises staff who’ve displayed exceptional behaviour through courage, initiative or skill in one-off situations.
"While our staff are used to helping people, his actions have gone an extra step and he’s potentially helped save someone’s life.”
Lynda says Jonn’s actions are typical to his approach to work.
“He works in our Prison Release Team where he does a great job. He’s helping people to reintegrate back into society and provides support for their rehabilitation, so they can move away from criminal activity.”
For further information contact the Communications Services Desk:
Phone: (04) 460 3365
Email: commdesk@corrections.govt.nz
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