Guidelines

The Liverpool Shipwreck & Humane Society

General Principles Applied To Reported Acts Of Heroism

Acts of heroism must be in respect of the saving or attempted saving of human life.
The heroic act must have been voluntary and involved risk to the rescuers life or safety. Professional persons in the exercise of their calling are not acting voluntarily and are not normally awarded; but once the ordinary requirements of duty have been exceeded a case is eligible for consideration.
The degree of risk, whether appreciated or unknown at the time, and the consequent degree of bravery on the part of the rescuer, are the paramount factors.
When a close relationship exists between rescuer and rescued, awards are made only in exceptional circumstances.
The restoration of human life by resuscitation may be recognised by the award of a resuscitation certificate where a person who is apparently dead is thereby restored to life.
Cases should be reported as soon as possible and preferably not later than six months after their occurrence.

Nominations: Reports of acts falling within the above guidelines generally come to the Society from the Chief Constables of Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire, Port of Liverpool Police, Chief Fire Officers and officials of other bodies within those areas, and occasionally from members of the public. After detailed examination has been made by those bodies the case details are submitted to the Society’s Secretary who may make further enquiries before presenting the case to the committee for consideration. Once the committee’s decision has been made the Secretary prepares citations and arranges for the awards to be produced and forwarded to the reporting officials, who then make appropriate presentation arrangements. These ceremonies are usually performed by the Mayor or other responsible person in the district where the recipient resides.

The Society welcomes the assistance of the general public in its work of recognising acts of bravery and the application of life-saving techniques; if you have a case to report, please complete the Nomination Form included in the Nominations page of this site. Serving police officers or members of the emergency services should report the incident in the first case to a senior staff officer and should please bear in mind that the Society’s awards are intended for members of the public as well as for fellow-officers.

Liaison: To avoid possible duplication of awards, the Society maintains close liaison with the Royal Humane Society and also with the Carnegie Hero Fund Trust which is able to offer financial aid to the dependants of would-be rescuers who lose their lives in saving others.

Committee: At the present time the Society is administered by a Secretary and a committee of between six and sixteen members who meet quarterly to consider the cases submitted.

Acts of heroism must be in respect of the saving or attempted saving of human life.
The heroic act must have been voluntary and involved risk to the rescuers life or safety. Professional persons in the exercise of their calling are not acting voluntarily and are not normally awarded; but once the ordinary requirements of duty have been exceeded a case is eligible for consideration.
The degree of risk, whether appreciated or unknown at the time, and the consequent degree of bravery on the part of the rescuer, are the paramount factors.
When a close relationship exists between rescuer and rescued, awards are made only in exceptional circumstances.
The restoration of human life by resuscitation may be recognised by the award of a resuscitation certificate where a person who is apparently dead is thereby restored to life.
Cases should be reported as soon as possible and preferably not later than six months after their occurrence.

Guidelines

The Liverpool Shipwreck & Humane Society

General Principles Applied To Reported Acts Of Heroism

Nominations

Medals & Awards

Additional Information

Terms & Conditions