Mr Roland Ipenburg, of Picton, New Zealand Bravery Decoration for an exceptional bravery in a situation of danger
Mid-afternoon on 22 October 2022, a car crashed into a ditch and rolled onto its passenger side on State Highway 1 near Kekerengu. The female driver was injured and trapped inside, while the injured passenger was able to escape onto the roadside. The vehicle caught fire and passing motorists moved the passenger away from the car when it ignited. Mr Ian Anderson, a truck driver, saw smoke from the crash and stopped at the scene. He exited his vehicle and was handed a fire extinguisher by another motorist, before approaching the crashed car. He saw flames coming from the gap between the bonnet and windscreen and used the fire extinguisher, which only temporarily supressed the flames. Mr Roland Ipenburg arrived at the scene and exited his vehicle. He saw Mr Ian Anderson using a fire extinguisher on the car, and was given a fire extinguisher by another motorist, which he emptied into the fire. Mr Anderson entered the upturned car via the rear passenger door, using a walking stick to jam the door open so it would not shut on him, before being assisted by Mr Roland Ipenburg, who held the door and followed inside. They found the driver lying against the front passenger door. Mr Anderson and Mr Ipenburg attempted to lift the driver but were only able to roll her onto her right side. Mr Anderson was passed another fire extinguisher and deployed it within the cabin, seeing flames coming through the console. There was a burst of flame while they were in the vehicle, so Mr Anderson and Mr Ipenburg exited and began looking for more fire extinguishers. Flames were beginning to run up the driver’s clothing.. At this time, a police officer was the first emergency responder to arrive at the scene. The police officer deployed his fire extinguisher to suppress the fire on the driver’s clothing. He lay on his stomach on the upturned side of the car, reaching into the vehicle through the rear door and managing to grasp the driver’s hand. Mr Anderson held the officer’s belt, so he could reach further into the vehicle without falling, with Mr Ipenburg grabbing Mr Anderson to assist. Together they tried to lift and pull the driver from the car, but the officer lost his grip. The police officer’s attempts to reach the trapped driver proved impossible and Mr Anderson and Mr Ipenburg pulled him from the car due to the severity of the fire. Soon after they exited the vehicle, it was engulfed by fire.