In April, Richard McLaren, 80, had invited his grandsons, Hamish Govan, of Sunbury, and Jack McLaren, of Keilor East, over to his house to help him with some odd jobs.

Mr McLaren started up his electric drill and cut open his hand. The two teenagers acted quickly. One dialled triple-0 while the other applied a cloth and pressure to the wound.

"I would have been buggered without them both," Mr McLaren said.

"They managed to stop the bleeding while we waited for the ambulance. I couldn't be prouder of them."

Skin grafts and stapling were used to treat the hand wound.

The two quick-thinking teenagers were honoured last week with a Junior Triple Zero Hero award from the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority.

Police and Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron presented 22 children with awards at a ceremony last week.

ESTA's chief executive, Neil Foster, said the awards recognised and rewarded the courage and initiative of the youngsters. "These young people showed the right way to deal with an emergency - picking up the phone and dialling triple-0," he said.

"This shows that it's worth teaching your younger children the address they live at and the nearest cross street so we can pinpoint exactly where they are."

ESTA is the statutory authority that provides call-taking and dispatch services to police and emergency services within Melbourne and Geelong as well as the CFA and SES statewide.