Georgian boy receives top award for saving mother’s life

A young Georgian boy has been honoured by an international emergency association for his quick-thinking and calm actions that saved the life of his mother.

Eight-year-old Aleksandre Bozhadze was awarded the Outstanding Citizen’s award at the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) annual award ceremony for saving his mother’s life by calling the emergency number 112.

Eight-year-old Aleksandre Bozhadze received the Outstanding Citizen’s award for saving his mother’s life by calling the emergency number 112.

Five prestigious awards were presented at yesterday’s ceremony in Bucharest, Romania, which honoured individuals and organisations from around Europe for their commitment in promoting people's safety and well-being.

EENA executive director Gary Machado said the annual awards helped "bring into the limelight” the outstanding contributions of organisations and individuals who strive to save lives.

"I am very happy to see so many people here today celebrating the outstanding achievements of the awardees. I want to thank all the winners for their passion and dedication; they are an inspiration to us all. I also want to take a moment and thank the other nominees, whose accomplishments have a great impact on our lives,” Machado said.

The 112 Awards Ceremony is the only pan-European awards ceremony that aimed to reward excellence in the emergency services field.

The EENA is a Brussels-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) set up in 1999 dedicated to promoting high-quality emergency services reached by the number 112 throughout the European Union.

The winners of the 112 Awards 2015 are:

· The outstanding call taker is from Lithuania,

· The outstanding citizen is an 8 year-old boy from Georgia,

· The outstanding emergency call centres are AREU in Lombardia, Italy and Special Telecommunications Service in Romania,

· The outstanding rescue was carried out by SOS Alarm from Sweden, and

· The outstanding innovation was undertaken by BT UK, with the support and expertise of HTC and EE.