When the time came, boy did Bill Murray step up under pressure.
Fourteen years ago, the handyman took a CPR training course after a choking incident involving his son. He never really knew in the years that followed whether he’d ever be required to use that knowledge.
Then, on Sept. 27, it came flooding back. While working that morning on a construction site at Friday Harbour, a resort in the north end of Innisfil, he saw colleague Fernando Rodrigues collapse to the ground and go into cardiac arrest. Without hesitation, Murray began administering CPR while 911 was called and emergency crews were dispatched.
Innisfil Fire and Rescue Services firefighters arrived on scene and used a defibrillator to get a pulse. County of Simcoe paramedics arrived shortly after and transported Rodrigues to hospital.
He survived, thanks largely to Murray’s effort.
“It’s nice to be recognized,” Murray said in an interview with InnisfilToday Dec. 17, minutes after receiving a certificate of appreciation from the Town of Innisfil. “It’s so surreal. I saw (Rodrigues) the other day and he looks fantastic.”
Murray concedes he doesn’t like all the attention. But he also understands incidents like this help remind people of the importance of first-aid training.
He also thanked the 911 dispatcher, who helped refresh his memory and walk him through the process.
“I had the basic idea of what I was doing,” Murray said. “But CPR changes so much. When I took it, it was 15 compressions to two breaths. Now, it’s just compressions and no breaths.”
Mayor Lynn Dollin, who presented the certificate to Murray in front of a couple of dozen people in the council chamber at town hall, agreed.
After hearing his story, she’s committed to learning CPR.
“This is not his comfort zone, but we also didn’t want his actions to go by without recognizing (his) heroism and bravery,” she said. “We want to thank Bill for this. I know that if I were in the same situation, I wouldn’t have had the knowledge or education to help. That’s the message for all of us: Make sure we upgrade our skills so that if we ever have that circumstance arise, we can make a difference.”
Deputy Fire Chief Carla MacDonald called Murray’s training “a huge gift.”
“This is someone who woke up that day and because they took the time to learn first aid, they made a huge impact on this entire family,” she said.
Even a bit rusty, Murray knew trying “something was better than nothing.”
“I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try to help,” he said. “You never know when it could happen.”
