On the job for 15 years and in charge of 50 doctors, Karel said he was surprised to hear of his award nomination which was a first.
“I’ve got no idea who nominated me,” he said.
“I’m just doing my job but it is nice to get some recognition.
“We operate a very busy service and there’s always unexpected challenges.”
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery, Steph Cooke, said the finalists were revealed at a ceremony held in Parliament House last week.
In keeping with the Rotary’s motto of ‘Service Above Self’, RESCA is a community-nominated awards program and is the only time Emergency Services personnel, both paid and volunteer, are recognised in a combined awards program.
“We have had back to back devastating flood events over the past year, including two in the space of one month. There seemed to be no respite for our frontline first responders but they never stopped working to keep communities,” Ms Cooke said.
Winners will be announced on Saturday, August 13, at Bankstown Sports Club.