APCOA Ireland“s ABCD Awards appreciate staff performing good deeds „above and beyond the call of duty“
Lucan, Co. Dublin, August 7 2012 – It seemed like a good idea from the start but the success of it has surprised APCOA Ireland. APCOA Traffic Wardens are a common sight on streets across Ireland and have seen every side of human nature. They also have many stories to tell about coming to the assistance of their fellow citizens. These experiences inspired many conversations among APCOA staff and management: why not build on this sense of civic responsibility? In early 2011 APCOA launched the „ABCD initiative“. ABCD stands for „Above and Beyond the Call of Duty“. In a nutshell, the aim of the scheme was to create internal awareness and highlight the many acts of good citizenship that APCOA Traffic Wardens across Ireland perform throughout the year. Since the initiative was announced, APCOA has received hundreds of submissions both from staff and from the general public.
Last week Alan Dunne, APCOA Ireland“s Director of Operations, proudly thanked all of APCOA“s staff who had put forward colleagues for consideration for an „ABCD Award“. All of their submissions were entered into a draw which was carried out at APCOA“s Dublin Head Office on Thursday 5th July 2012. The colleagues nominated had gone „Above and Beyond the Call of Duty“ in numerous ways.
Like Frank Thompson, who assisted and called for an ambulance for a member of the public, who had collapsed on Adelaide Street in Dún Laoghaire. Or Alf Bucke, who was a first-hand witness to a traffic accident in Celbridge involving an elderly lady. Alf helped to comfort the lady, called an ambulance and then took responsibility for directing traffic. Or Robert Fennell. who assisted a disabled motorist in Rathcoole who was having difficulty and fell while getting out of her vehicle. A passerby was so impressed by the professional manner in which Robert handled the situation, that she called South Dublin County Council and told them of the incident. Another good example of common sense was shown by APCOA Traffic Warden Pascal Murray, who also achieved some internet fame after coming to the aid of a motorist in Clondalkin who had managed to mount a vehicle on a concrete bollard. Pascal and other passers-by helped to lift the Ford Focus off the bollard and their community-spirited actions were captured on Youtube. Another grateful customer, armed with a box of Cadbury“s Roses, came APCOA“s Dún Laoghaire office to personally thank Traffic Warden Mark O“Connell. Mark had found her purse which she had left on the roof of her vehicle in Glasthule, and left a note to tell the customer where the purse could be collected.
The long list of nominations that reached APCOA Management made choosing a winner a difficult task. In the end APCOA Traffic Wardens Frank Thompson (Dún Laoghaire Rathdown), Paul O“Sullivan (Dún Laoghaire Rathdown), Daniel Williams (Kildare) and Jeff O“Connell (Dún Laoghaire Rathdown) received commendations and EUR100 in recognition of performance „Above and Beyond the Call of Duty“. The two annual prize winners, each of whom won a EUR500 holiday voucher, were Thomas Early (South Dublin) and Michael McFadden (Fingal).
Addressing APCOA“s staff, Neil Cunningham, APCOA Ireland“s Managing Director, shared the pride of Alan Dunne in the daily corporate citizenship of APCOA staff, saying „I want to thank each of you for your ongoing commitment and professionalism in your very challenging roles. I look forward to hearing and reading more about your Good Deeds in the future!“
In Ireland, APCOA is the market leading „full service“ provider, operating across all sectors of Off Street parking management and On Street Enforcement Services. From large scale Car Park Management operations at Airports, Hospitals and City Centre Multi-Stories to On Street Parking Enforcement schemes APCOA Parking Ireland Ltd have a successful track record in delivering high-end customised parking management solutions for our customers.
About APCOA Group
APCOA is Europe“s market leading parking operator employing 5,500 people in 13 European countries, managing 6,700 car parks with around 1,300,000 spaces, and selling roughly 150 million season tickets per year.
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