By Spencer Sterritt

Nanaimo BC Hydro workers recognized for saving man’s life from overdose

Nov 16, 2018 | 3:48 PM

NANAIMO — A man could have died if it weren’t for the quick actions of two BC Hydro employees.

Ryan Malcolm and Torben Larsen were flagged down while returning from a job in south Nanaimo back in March, 2017. They were told a man was in medical distress inside his ground floor apartment, surrounded by people paralyzed by fear or shock.

“I’ve never seen anybody like that,” Malcolm told NanaimoNewsNOW. “His face, his whole upper torso was purple and blue.”

Larsen tried to count the man’s heartbeat while on the phone with 911, but “his heart rate wasn’t even countable. It was outrageous.”

Both Malcolm and Larsen said it was a surreal scene to step into.

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“Everything seemed so calm, everything seemed to slow down. There was a lady there, really distraught,” Malcolm said. “The environment was pretty stressful but I don’t remember feeling any stress. It seemed like all of our years of training kicked in.”

Despite Malcolm’s best efforts with CPR, the man wasn’t coming around and precious time was quickly draining away.

But then, someone came out of the crowd and injected the man with naloxone before Malcolm or Larson could ask what he was doing or where he’d come from.

The patient didn’t respond to the first dose, so the 911 dispatcher recommended a second shot.

It was just after the second dose of naloxone, right when paramedics arrived, the man started breathing again.

Malcolm and Larsen looked back on the incident after receiving the Lifesaving Award from the Canadian Electricity Association on Nov. 7 in Ottawa.

“The courage to stop and respond to a stranger’s call for help led to a life being saved,” the association said.

Both Malcolm and Larsen humbly deflected from the weight put onto their actions.

“I think we just did the right thing and I wish anyone in that situation would do the same,” Malcolm said.

They received the award along with several other BC Hydro crews and others from across Canada, including two electricians who were first on scene to the tragic Humboldt Broncos bush crash.

“They were pulling survivors out and taking control of the situation in Humboldt,” Malcolm said. “It was very humbling to be considered in the same category.”

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit