​On December 30, 2011, Robert Sterne was shoveling snow when he collapsed from cardiac arrest. Next-door neighbours, Maurice Chartrand, and sons Shane and Mike Chartrand, ran to help but could see no vital signs.

Robert’s wife, Diane, called 911 while Maurice, Shane and Mike Chartrand applied cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Diane  retrieved her home defibrillator and together, they followed the machine’s instructions and administered shocks and compressions to Robert’s heart.

“My dad died suddenly from a heart attack,” said Diane. “I bought a home defibrillator as kind of an insurance policy for us. I was in shock when Robert was not responding but the voice prompts from the machine helped us focus and I held my phone so the 911 operator could hear the voice from the machine and relay information to the ambulance paramedics while they were en route. The doctors were just blown away that he survived and had no brain damage.”

“We thought he was gone,” said Shane Chartrand. “Once we had the defibrillator, we never missed a beat with the compressions. When he gasped for air, it was amazing.”

“When bystander CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED) are used together, a patient’s chances of survival increase by as much as 75 per cent,” said BCAS Okanagan South Superintendent Norm Matheson. “Robert is a lucky man. This is a textbook case of how knowing what to do during a medical emergency saves lives.”

Shane Chartrand received a Vital Link Award at the ceremony, while Maurice and Mike Chartrand, Raymond Michaud, Diane Sterne and first responder Jody Woodford received Good Samaritan Awards for their selfless teamwork in resuscitating Robert Sterne.

BC Ambulance Service attends between 2,400-2,800 cardiac arrest calls each year. Fewer than 10 per cent of people who have a cardiac arrest survive.

For More Information
News Release: Coalmont Saves One of Its Own