On the evening of April 14, 2012, a New Westminster Police Officer and her recruit came upon an ambulance parked on the side of the road in the 200 block of Columbia Street. The ambulance’s emergency lights were flashing and the paramedics were hurriedly opening compartments and selected the defibrillator. The constables pulled over to see if they could be of assistance.
During ambulance transport, a 65 year old female patient had gone into full cardiac arrest and the paramedics were both required to provide medical assistance, leaving no one to drive the ambulance and therefore the reason for the stop on the side of the roadway. The Constable advised that she could perform CPR and commenced chest compressions on the patient while the paramedics drove to the Royal Columbian Hospital with lights and sirens activated. The recruit followed in the police vehicle.
The patient revived just as they pulled into the lot at the Royal Columbian Hospital and she was rushed into the trauma room in the emergency ward.
The patient is currently on the road to recovery at the Royal Columbian Hospital and, if not for the quick thinking and willingness to assist by the New Westminster Police Constable, the female patient might not have survived.