Churchill staff honoured as life savers

Three Winston Churchill High School staff members who saved a person’s life back in December have been recognized for their efforts.

Jonathan Dick, Nevin Morrison and Carey Rowntree have been recognized by the Canadian Ski Patrol and by Lethbridge School District No. 51 for their role in saving a student who was suffering a cardiac event.

“It’s a situation you hope you are never in,” Rowntree said, noting he never imagined he would be using his life-saving skills on a student.

On the day of the event, Morrison was walking through an athletic field with some students to a nearby ice rink for an early morning class.

Morrison was alerted to a small group of students who had fallen behind and was told one of them had fallen and was hurt.

The student was found breathing but unresponsive. Due to temperatures near -20 C, Morrison had two students carry her while he called 911.

Inside the school, Morrison was met by Dick and Rowntree. It was determined the student’s breathing was deteriorating. Dick and Rowntree administered CPR while Morrison remained on the line with 911.

Upon arrival, EMS continued CPR and administered three shocks via the school’s automated external defibrillator system. The student was then moved to the hospital.

A preliminary diagnosis states the student had an unknown heart defect involving the tissue between the chambers which was thickened and less elastic than it should have been.

The rescue team thanked WCHS staff for the response and the CPR efforts during their seven-minute response to the scene.

The student was released from the Calgary Children’s Hospital later in the month and has since resumed attending school.

Rowntree accepted recognition from the Canadian Ski Patrol on behalf of the group at the organization’s National Leadership Conference in B.C. on March 31.

They were also recognized Tuesday night by the LSD51 Board of Trustees during their regular meeting, with board chair Mich Forster presenting plaques to Dick, Morrison and Rowntree.

As a member of the Canadian Ski Patrol, Rowntree has advanced training in life-saving measures. But he said the event with the student and the training all three staff members have show how important it is for everyone to learn CPR.

“Extraordinary things happen to ordinary people,” he said, noting the importance of being prepared when those moments arrive. “It can be something as simple as learning basic CPR.” Follow @JWSchnarrHerald on Twitter