Client: Awards
Date: April 07, 2011​

On January 13, 2011, Carriere, a First Aid training officer at the Esquimalt Naval Base, was working with Tim Gallinger at the Fleet Diving Unit unloading pallets of equipment. After not hearing Gallinger for a short period of time, Carriere went to check on him.

When he found his boss laying on the concrete floor unresponsive and not breathing, Carriere quickly assessed him, began CPR and called for help. Carriere continued with chest compressions until an AED could be used effectively, then initiated one shock to Gallinger which resulted in the return of circulation and breathing. BC Ambulance Service paramedics arrived quickly and continued the patients care en-route to Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.

“Without the quick recognition and response by Mr. Carriere, Mr. Gallinger most definitely would not be alive today,” said BC Ambulance Service District Supervisor Dave Valentine. “By immediately initiating CPR and then using an available Automatic External Defibrillator (AED), the patient regained a pulse and started breathing on his own.”

A cardiac arrest victim is four times more likely to survive if they receive bystander CPR, however this basic procedure is not performed in approximately 85 per cent of all cardiac arrest cases.

“I feel very lucky that I knew what to do when I noticed Tim was unresponsive,” said Carriere. “Knowing CPR is such an easy skill to learn and the benefits are huge for a patient.”

Carriere received his award today in Esquimalt before a graduating class of First Aid and CPR trainees. Gallinger, the man whose life he saved thanks to CPR training, was also in attendance.

For More Information
News Release: Esquimalt Man Receives Award for Performing CPR