A medical incident this past Monday evening (May 30) near the Surrey RCMP’s main detachment highlights the importance of first aid training and how the quick actions taken by first responders and civilians likely saved a life.
On May 30th at approximately 7:20pm, an off duty Surrey RCMP officer, who was enroute to work, was flagged down by a member of the public in the area of 56th Avenue (Hwy #10) and 144th Street.
A male driver was in medical distress in his vehicle which was stopped in the westbound lane of 56th Avenue. The officer immediately exited his vehicle and observed the male suffering from what appeared to be a heart attack. After phoning 911 he was joined by another motorist and together they safely removed the male from his vehicle and began administering CPR on him.
Additional officers were flagged down by the public who assisted with CPR until the arrival of EHS. An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) was also administered by officers numerous times on the victim before the male was transported to hospital.
The 66 year old Delta resident is currently doing well and breathing on his own. Emergency Health Services personnel and the attending physician have advised that the early medical intervention combined with the AED likely saved the male’s life.
Surrey RCMP would like to thank those members of the public who assisted us during this incident and potentially helped save a life, says Surrey RCMP Sergeant Alanna Dunlop. The quick response by the attending officers and civilians were absolutely vital to such a positive outcome.
This incident also serves as another reminder to the public about how important it is to have basic first aid training – you never know when a medical emergency may arise.
