Dame Cindy and Senior Constable Kurt Waugh
On the evening of 11 April 2011, Senior Constable Kurt Waugh was on duty alone in Te Puke when he received a report of a potentially suicidal woman. Upon arriving at the given address, Waugh found the house on fire. He took immediate action to try and contain the fire by using the fire extinguisher from his patrol car and a garden hose.
Using his baton to break the ranch slider, Waugh entered the house to search for occupants. The increasing intensity of the fire and presence of smoke meant visibility was poor, and he had to leave several times in order to regain his breath. Waugh broke further windows in an effort to dispel the smoke in the house.
After searching the ground level, Waugh moved upstairs, where he found a locked door which he forced open and found a semi-conscious woman. He dragged and carried her back down the stairs and outside to safety. After ensuring she was safe, Waugh re-entered the house to check if there were any other people present.
The woman received medical assistance from the attending ambulance services.
The timely actions of Senior Constable Waugh in entering the house, locating, and then helping the semi-conscious woman to safety, clearly saved her life.