In that case I nominate the Headmaster of my local Primary School, who discovered a gas leak last Thursday at 7:30 am, and had it mended before the kids arrived.
The thread asks for the most important people in history, not giving a specific starting point as to when people will be considered - and I've chosen the 1st May 2011 as my starting point, and I'm limiting myself to the history of Croydon and nearby towns.