Swift response to a medical emergency
In January 2025, while on duty at the Waterford Hospital in Newfoundland, Site Supervisor Aaron Dowden, Shift Lead Jonathan Hartery and Security Officer Kai Wight were alerted that there was a client experiencing a medical emergency in the front parking lot of the facility. A taxi driver had run into the lobby shouting that someone was ‘shaking’ in his car.
The security team immediately sprang into action: Dowden and Wight entered the taxi to find that the person was unresponsive, with shallow gurgling breaths, tremors and blood coming out of their mouth. Dowden instructed Hartery to call 911 while he assessed the patient, using his first aid training.
Dowden checked the man for responsiveness via a sternum rub and pain response in his nail bed, and then, with Wight, assisted the main into a recovery position.
Under instructions from the 911 dispatcher, they assisted the man out of the taxi and on to the curb, where he became responsive. The team remained with the man, reassuring him and providing support until paramedics arrived. We have since learned that the man recovered.
Newfoundland Health Services staff reached out to express their gratitude for the effective response of the security team.
Thank you for your great teamwork!
Canadian Security Lifesaver Association®