St. John’s Security Team Wins Canadian Security Lifesaver Association National Award
The Canadian Security Lifesaver Association is proud to award a Paladin Security team in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with the prestigious national CSLA award for the first quarter of 2024 after they successfully saved a patient from a fire at Waterford Hospital.
On March 5th, a patient at the hospital deliberately set a fire in their room. The glow was visible from underneath the door, which helped tip off the security team. Without hesitation, Shift Lead Aaron Dowden grabbed a fire extinguisher while Security Officer David Murphy gained access to the room. Once inside, they discovered the patient barricaded themselves in the washroom. That’s when Shift Lead Dowden sprang into action, discharging the extinguisher, hoping to reduce the flames in an effort to rescue the patient. While doing so, he suffered minor smoke inhalation. Simultaneously, Security Officers Murphy, Christian Murphy-King, Gideon Nyame, and Benjamin Fitzpatrick found the patient and pulled them to safety. With the patient safe, the team then quickly evacuated the remaining patients and staff from the unit, keeping them comfortable until fire crews arrived.
The success of this incident was mostly due to strong communication, which led to quickly breaching the door, reducing the blaze, and rescuing the trapped patient. Having Fire Marshal training also helped as they were able to deploy the extinguisher safely and effectively. Aaron Dowden and David Murphy displayed heroism entering the room to save a life, while Christian Murphy-King displayed camaraderie, supporting Aaron and the entire team who knew the value of saving the life of the trapped patient. No patient, clinical staff or Paladin staff were left behind.
The team from Waterford Hospital (Eastern Health) in St. John’s consists of the following members:
- Shift Lead Aaron Dowden
- Security Officer David Murphy
- Security Officer Gideon Nyame
- Security Officer Christian Murphy-King
- Security Officer Benjamin Fitzpatrick
The CSLA wants to extend a heartfelt congratulations to the team for their courageous actions.
Canadian Security Lifesaver Association®