Nir Bazak is a member of the city council of Gedera, Israel and has been on the council since 2012. He works as an electrical engineer for the Israel Electric Corporation and volunteers as an EMT with United Hatzalah, Israel’s national volunteer emergency medical services organization.
On December 8th, in the early afternoon, Nir dropped what he was doing and rushed out to save a man’s life. The injured person had fallen from the upper stories of a construction site onto the pavement below and was in need of emergency medical care.

Nir, being an experienced EMT, raced to the scene to treat the fallen worker who was later transported to Kaplan Hospital in moderate condition. Nir was joined by another United Hatzalah volunteer, Meir Barel, who helped treat the injured patient. Barel serves as the chapter head of the Gedera branch of United Hatzalah.
“Unfortunately, construction workers often are not working under the safest conditions. It is well known that often construction workers want to finish their projects faster and that comes at the cost of safety on the job site. Had there been security pins put in place this person would not have fallen. I arrived first on scene and was able to treat the worker for his wounds, the worst of which was a head wound he suffered as a result of his fall.”
“Working in any volunteer position has its own rewards, but working with United Hatzalah gives a volunteer an extra sense of self-worth,” explained Bazak. “Helping others and saving lives is something that is very special. The fact that United Hatzalah gives us the training and the equipment needed to save lives is simply life-changing. We bring everyone together, no matter their religious background, all in an effort to save lives, and that in itself is something extraordinary.”
Bazak related a story of when he saved a little girl who was in a car accident. “Seeing her walk around the streets of the city now gives me a feeling like no other. Even when I have to drop everything, my work, my other responsibilities in the city, my family, it is worth it to help. To know that I am going out to save a life is the most extraordinary feeling of all.”