23 JULY 2014 NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 78 2167

their families, Lieutenant Commander Carr assumed command of the small team remaining and instructed them to search the immediate area and offer assistance. When Carr heard of the extensive damage in the central city he led a team of five into the city to support relief efforts. En route to the central city the team assisted trapped survivors in various buildings where they were able.

At about 3.30pm Carr and his team arrived at the Canterbury Television building, which had collapsed in a “pancake” effect, and began a 12-hour rescue operation. Carr’s team faced significant danger from the fire burning within the building and beneath their feet, as well as persistent aftershocks. Carr crawled several times into tight, dark and smoke-filled gaps in the building to search for survivors. On one occasion part of the roof he was standing on collapsed and he fell part way into the hole that was created. Carr suffered a leg wound at this point but managed to free himself, and he continued to provide leadership for his team in a determined effort to rescue as many people as possible. Carr’s team managed to lift a section of the roof to see if any survivors were present in the fire-affected area of the building. The heat and the flames finally forced the team to withdraw.

Shane Andrew COLE
Station Officer, New Zealand Fire Service
Citation

On 22 February 2011 a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, causing the collapse of the Pyne Gould Corporation building, trapping around 30 people inside. Station Officer Shane Cole accessed the collapsed roof of the building via the ladder of a Bronto Skylift fire truck. On the roof Cole worked with civilians and other firefighters to create a hole and remove debris to reach a trapped woman. Cole and another firefighter went into the hole, extricated the woman and escorted her off the roof. Cole joined two firefighters at the rear of the building where he helped them release a man trapped by his ankle. During this time Cole’s team heard three survivors inside the building and reported their locations. These survivors were rescued later in the day by different teams. Cole joined another two firefighters tunnelling on the second floor and assisted them in rescuing two trapped people. Cole then joined a second tunnelling team on the first floor. The team tunnelled around six to eight metres into the building, cutting through office furniture until they discovered a pocket of five survivors. Four survivors were able to exit through the tunnel on their own while the fifth man remained trapped under a desk. Cole rejoined his first tunnelling team on the second floor where they tunnelled down to reach the trapped man. During this time Cole was working near the stairwell of the building and was able to help another group of firefighters free a woman on the second floor. Cole joined a third tunnelling team where he assisted in clearing debris sent back down the tunnels until he was relieved. Shane Cole’s rescue efforts were carried out in unstable, cramped conditions under the constant threat of aftershocks.

Shane Allan COWLES
Constable, New Zealand Police
Citation

When the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch on 22 February 2011, Constable Shane Cowles was one of the first Police officers in attendance at the collapsed Canterbury Television building. A fire had ignited in the lower levels of the building, complicating rescue efforts. Constable Cowles worked with three other Police officers on the roof of the building to conduct several rescues amongst the rubble of the building’s lift tower. Their lives were at particular risk during the first hour when they were working under the precarious lift tower that was disintegrating with each aftershock. They were initially able to free a woman and two children. The Police officers then searched for audible tapping or voices and managed to pinpoint the locations of at least eight survivors. Where possible the officers dug down to the survivors they located and using stretchers sourced from the nearby Inland Revenue building carried the survivors to waiting medical personnel. They heard a woman calling for help in the burning area of the building and made several attempts to reach her from the outside of the building, with only wet clothing wrapped around their heads to protect against the heat and smoke. This occurred before the Fire Service had arrived on the scene. Due to a brief change in wind direction they were able to climb down inside the building, reach the woman and pull her free. The efforts of Shane Cowles and the other Police officers rescued at least six people from the CTV site.

Kevin Rex CROZIER
Senior Firefighter, New Zealand Fire Service
Citation

On 22 February 2011 a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, resulting in the collapse of the six-storey Canterbury Television building. A fire had ignited in the lower levels of the building, complicating rescue efforts. The fourth floor had been compressed to a space of approximately 60 centimetres high. Tunnels were created into the fourth floor to gain access to a number of survivors trapped inside. Senior Firefighter Kevin Crozier was one of a group of firefighters who took turns tunnelling for long periods in confined spaces, often breathing smoke. The firefighters were unable to use breathing apparatus or wear helmets due to the cramped conditions. Debris had to be passed backwards along the bodies of the rescuers and down the tunnel as there was no room to turn around. Firefighters were stationed at the tunnel entrance so that when there were significant aftershocks they could quickly pull the tunnellers out by their feet. Eventually the team of tunnellers, including Crozier, located a small group of students trapped under a beam. Two bodies had to be removed before the students could be reached. One student was trapped by her ankle and it took a long time to free her, but amputation was avoided. Another student was trapped by his head, but was pulled from beneath the beam and extracted through the tunnel. A third student could not be freed until an amputation was carried out by a civilian doctor assisted by another team of firefighters, through an access hole from above. The rescue efforts of Kevin Crozier and his team were carried out in dense smoke from the fire and under the constant threat of aftershocks.

Richard Mark GREEN
Senior Firefighter, New Zealand Fire Service
Citation

On 22 February 2011 a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, resulting in the collapse of the six-storey Canterbury Television building. A fire had ignited in the lower levels of the building, complicating rescue efforts. The fourth floor had been compressed to a space of approximately 60 centimetres high. Tunnels were created into the fourth floor to gain access to a number of survivors trapped inside. Senior Firefighter Mark Green teamed up with a second firefighter and they took turns tunnelling for long periods in confined spaces, often breathing smoke. They tunnelled into the fourth floor where they were eventually able to reach and rescue two women. The firefighters were unable to use breathing apparatus or wear helmets due to the cramped conditions. Debris had to be passed backwards along the bodies of the rescuers and down the tunnel as there was no room to turn around. Firefighters were stationed at the tunnel entrance so that when