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Off-duty Colwood, Langford firefighters save life at Shamrocks game

Man suffering from cardiac arrest saved by three West Shore firefighters
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A man was in the right place at the right time when his life was saved by two off-duty Colwood firefighters and the Langford fire chief at Tuesday night’s Shamrocks game.

Colwood Fire Rescue’s Pat Seward and Lt. Craig Twidale were off-duty and working security at The Q Centre during the Victoria Shamrocks game Tuesday night when a man went into cardiac arrest. Colwood Fire Chief John Cassidy noted due to their CPR training, firefighters from the department tend to help out when they can.

Langford Fire Chief Chris Aubrey was also off-duty at the game when he spotted what was happening and offered to help.

Together, the team of firefighters performed critical, lifesaving CPR and were able to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) to shock the man twice and get his pulse and breathing back in time for the ambulance to take over.

“We just kept doing what we would normally do if on duty until the ambulance got there,” Aubrey said. “My hat’s off to the two Colwood firefighters … it was really a team effort and just so awesome we had off-duty firefighters from multiple departments working together seamlessly.”

Seward is a long-time Colwood volunteer and Twidale is a career member with a long service history. Cassidy noted the man who had the heart attack was in the right place at the right time and that the save ended up being successful in the end.

“Between the three of them, I can’t tell you how many cardiac arrests they’ve been to collectively,” Cassidy said.

Both Aubrey and Cassidy noted that having access to the AED made a big difference. The early use of an AED in a situation such as this can be lifesaving.

Both fire chiefs also stressed members of the public should learn basic CPR and first aid. Cassidy added the use of a fire extinguisher is also a key skill everyone should learn.

“You never know what could happen anywhere at any time,” Aubrey added.

shalu.mehta@goldstreamgazette.com