New Westminster resident Fred Chadwick doesn't remember it, but someone saved his life last month and then disappeared before he could even be thanked.
Chadwick, 62, was about to hop a bus uptown on July 15 when he went into cardiac arrest. The next thing he remembers is waking up at Royal Columbian Hospital with tubes coming out of him.
"It's just a complete blank," he said. "It was quite a shock."
But even before the New Westminster fire department and paramedics responded that day, an off-duty firefighter, out walking with his two young daughters, had jumped into action.
"When we got there, we were directed onto the bus by the bus driver. We found two individuals doing CPR," said Capt. Bruce Zelter. "Obviously it was pretty frantic at that point in time, so we didn't have a whole lot of time to gather information from them."
Zelter, along with New Westminster firefighters Chris Berube and Jason Lange and B.C. Ambulance paramedics, took over and went to work on Chadwick, who had no pulse and was not breathing.
"We used the defibrillator, and we were successful in that capacity in restoring heart rhythm," Zelter said.
Once Chadwick was en route to Royal Columbian, Zelter questioned everyone around for details. The bus driver, who had been watching over the mystery hero's daughters during the rescue, was the only one who had talked to him.
"I asked who that individual was, and (the bus driver) said he was an off-duty fireman," Zelter said. "I was looking for this guy, and he was gone."
Chadwick has since had double-bypass surgery and, despite a little soreness from his stitches, is feeling much better. He is now totally committed to changing his diet and getting in shape, but he still has no idea who saved his life that day.
"I want to thank the guy if we ever can find out who it was," he said.
Chadwick's wife, Cheryl, agrees. "I just want to thank him, because without him, Fred would have died. I just can't believe that a guy, walking with his two daughters, would stop and help out." she said. "He took that extra care to see the commotion and come over. To me that goes beyond duty."
John Hatch, New Westminster division chief of safety and prevention, sent out a group message to all the fire chiefs in the Lower Mainland, but no one seems to know who the off-duty firefighter was.
Zelter said it's quite possible the off-duty officer would be eligible for a lifesaving award if he were to come forward, and New Westminster firefighters want to thank him as well.
"He took control of the situation and did, from what we saw, a pretty good job. The fact of the matter is, it was the early onset of the CPR that provided a successful outcome for this gentleman," he said. "We are really happy that his training came to the forefront and the fact that he stepped up. He should be pretty happy with the outcome, as I'm sure the individual is. A job well done."
Zelter said the incident highlights the importance of everyone having up-to-date training in life-saving skills.
"If people would engage themselves a little bit in these kinds of actions, first aid and CPR, they'd be amazed at how much they can help out in these kinds of situations," he said.
