B.C. man honoured for saving friend's life using CPR
Alaster Osborne was honoured at his Squamish, B.C., woodshop Monday with an award for helping to save his friend and business partner's life using CPR.
The Squamish Finishing Solutions co-owner was presented with a Vital Link Award, which B.C. Emergency Health Services uses to recognize "significant contributions" made by everyday citizens during medical emergencies.
In December 2019, Osborne was booking a flight to England for the holidays when his business partner, Marc Dandurand, suddenly suffered an electric shock.
Durand had been crafting wooden Christmas gifts using a new and risky wood-burning technique involving parts from an old microwave.
"As soon as I touched it with both hands, I connected the circuit. It sent me flying back 10 feet," he said. "And this is where Al found me."
Osborne came running down and immediately performed CPR while waiting for ambulance to show up.
"He realized his phone was upstairs so he had to stop, prop the door open, scream for help, but nobody was around. (So he) ran upstairs, got his cellphone and then called 911," Dandurand said.
"I was obviously scared. I feel like my natural instincts kicked in," Osborne said.
BJ Chute, unit chief of the Squamish ambulance station, said Osborne's actions could well have saved his business partner's life.
"He performed heroic measures on a friend, and that's not easy," he said. "Without Alaster's quick-thinking, heroic efforts ... I think we would be having a very different service here."
The link provided by bystanders providing CPR until paramedics arrive is "critical in the chances of that person surviving," he added.
While first responders did resuscitate Dandurand, he still spent a week in a coma in hospital.
His family didn’t know if he would pull through and even considered taking him off life support, but he miraculously woke up and was discharged before the end of December.
Dandurand says he now looks at life through a different lens.
"Just enjoy every minute that you have, every day. Don't take anything for granted. I know it sounds all cheesy, but it's true," he said.
As for Osborne, he takes his award graciously and humbly.
"I'm not a hero. I would do this again in any situation that is required. I feel like it's our obligation as people in society to support other people and help other people," he said.
He and Dandurand spent the next several weeks after the incident making a wooden table which they plan to auction off and donate the money to a charity on behalf of the first responders.
"To me, it's a small way of giving back using our skills that we work with everyday," said Osborne.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.