​Paramedics from Chase gathered in Kamloops at 11:00 a.m., April 21, for a Vital Link Award ceremony to recognize Breana Jones and her fiancė Jamie Bell for their life-saving actions resuscitating her father Brett Jones.

Breana, a nurse, and Jamie of Aldergrove, B.C., had been staying with her parents at their cottage on North Shuswap Lake on May 28, 2011, when Brett collapsed in cardiac arrest.

“No amount of teaching or nursing in the world can prepare you for that situation,” said Breana recalling her response at the moment her father stopped breathing. When BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) paramedics April Hames and Andrew Stanley arrived on scene, they found Breana in calm control of her nursing skills. “I asked them if they wanted me to start an IV,” said Breana.”

“Breana and Jamie were really impressive,” said April. “They took direction from us and continued with CPR until we had a pulse back. They did everything we needed to help Brett all the way through 27 minutes of cardiac arrest. He’s back at work now and has made a full recovery with no neurological damage.”

“Saving a life with your own hands is something to celebrate. Congratulations to these BCAS paramedics whose team and community support efforts assured the best outcome for this patient,” said Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake.

BCAS Kamloops District Paramedic Supervisor Troy Clifford will also recognize the team of paramedics that responded to this emergency, including the BCAS dispatcher, the first paramedics on the scene and the BCAS critical care paramedics responsible for transporting Brett from Kamloops to Vancouver by air ambulance for further treatment.

Brett attended the ceremony with his wife Shirley Jones who made the 9-1-1 emergency call. “Jamie is definitely my favourite of Breana’s boyfriends,” said Brett of the newly engaged couple. “We both survived his initiation into the family.”

BCAS attends between 2,400-2,800 cardiac arrest calls each year. Approximately 250 are in the BC Interior. Fewer than 10 per cent of people who have a cardiac arrest survive.

For More Information
News Release: Family Members are Vital Link to Father’s Survival