Time is everything': Lifesaving efforts that helped Saskatoon man show importance of CPR

Time is everything': Lifesaving efforts that helped Saskatoon man show importance of CPR

SASKATOON -

Life-saving efforts by the Hanley fire chief is highlighting the importance of CPR training.

On Nov. 5, at around 2:30 p.m. a call came into Medavie Health Services for a 67-year-old man in cardiac arrest in the town of Hanley, about 65 kilometres south of Saskatoon. A family member of the patient had begun performing CPR. It took Les Kroeger and another volunteer firefighters four minutes to respond to the call.

"We took over, used our AED machine that we carry with us, and we were able to revive or resuscitate the person," Kroeger said.

Before paramedics arrived, the patient was responding and talking with Kroeger and his colleague.

"It was a pretty awesome experience," Kroeger said. "Time is everything and we were very close by when it happened."

Kroeger is medical first-responder with the fire department in Hanley, which it relies on for ambulance services. It took STARS and paramedics over 30 minutes to arrive on the scene.

"We don’t have ambulance service, we don’t have a healthcare service facility," Kroger said. “We have a group that’s willing to volunteer their time, to provide what service we can when we're called until the paramedics get there."

November is CPR month, and Medavie Health Services, who took the call, hope Les' story can inspire others about the importance of knowing the emergency procedure.

"A place like Hanley, we’re going to have a delayed response getting out there, and time is everything," said Director of Public Affairs, Medavie Health Services West, Troy Davies.

Davies lauds the work EMS volunteers do in smaller communities to help provide support for people when facing life or death situations.

"Some of them are farmers, some of them work at the local grocery store whatever it might be," Davies said. "To take that responsibility on is huge."

Davies hopes that with November being CPR month and Kroger's story being shared in the public, others will want to sign up for a CPR course.

"CPR, it’s maybe a four to six hour course, you’re going to learn how to use an AED and just having these tools when you’re at a golf course, hockey rink, at the airport," Davies said. "A three to four hour course, you could end up saving a life."