​Donovan Whittaker and Sherry Jordison were working at Save-on-Foods in New Westminster, when Jordison saw an elderly woman lying in an aisle. Initially, she thought the woman was having a seizure and called for assistance. However, when Whittaker the first aid attendant arrived, he quickly assessed the situation, realized the woman was not breathing, and called 911. Jordison kept the woman’s head still while, Whittaker listened to the BCAS Emergency Medical Call Taker’s (EMCT) instructions over the phone to help him perform CPR.

On April 25, 2011 Cassandra Leonhardt and her friend Candace Bateson were walking through Loutet Park in North Vancouver when they saw two women leaning over a figure. When they ran over they saw Heather Schamehorn and Daryle Rajala performing CPR on 18 year old Levi Hildebrand. Leonhardt assisted them by holding Levi’s head, opening the airways and performed mouth to mouth, while Bateson assisted with chest compressions. Together, the four women performed CPR until BCAS paramedics arrived shortly afterwards and transported Hildebrand to hospital where he was later diagnosed with a rare heart condition.

On June 3, 2011 Hannah Chuter was catching the skytrain at Lougheed Mall and she saw that an elderly woman had collapsed. As a first year nursing student, she thought she might be able to assist. When she told the transit staff that she knew first aid, they allowed her to take over. She quickly realized the woman was not breathing and would require CPR. Immediately, Chuter initiated CPR until BCAS paramedics arrived and continued care en-route to the hospital.

Laura Morrow never dreamed she would one day have to call 911 to help her husband. However, in the early hours of November 23, 2010 after hearing her husband making gurgling sounds in his sleep and seeing that his eyes were rolling back, she depended on the BCAS EMCT to tell her what to do. BCAS EMCT’s calmly directed her through the steps to perform CPR on her husband until BCAS paramedics arrived.

BCAS attends approximately 3,000 cardiac arrest calls each year. 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% of all cardiac arrest cases.

The awards were presented at the BCAS Lower Mainland Headquarters on August 26, 2011 at 10:30am. In attendance were the recipients and patients along with their families.

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