Canadian Red Cross Rescuer Awards honour untrained or non-professional rescuers as well as off-duty first responders who take life-saving actions such as providing first aid and CPR.
On May 16, 2015, Naveed and Earl rescued a man whose truck had swerved off the highway. The truck went through a guardrail and down an embankment, it crashed into trees and overturned, and then it caught fire. Naveed and Earl were quick to act, pulling the man from the burning truck and carrying him up the embankment to safety. Once there, they tended to the man’s injuries until police, firefighters and paramedics arrived to the scene.
On October 20, 2015, Jennifer Soucy was on her way to visit relatives when her three-month-old son started coughing uncontrollably. By the time Jennifer was able to pull over her son had stopped breathing. She began to desperately flag down cars. The first to stop was off-duty Canadian Red Cross support worker Tamara, who immediately began CPR and continued until paramedics arrived. The infant has a medical condition that affects bone and cartilage development which was restricting oxygen flow, and later needed corrective surgery.
Knowing CPR and first aid can help you save a life! Learn more about Canadian Red Cross training and certification.