(Photo: Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services)

By Christian Oldale

Lethbridge Fire and Emergency holds celebration for boy who saved friend from drowning

Sep 27, 2024 | 12:40 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES) held a reunion event on Friday, September 27 to recognize a boy, lifeguards, and two bystanders who saved another boy’s life.

On July 29, 2024, 9-year-old Carter was swimming with his 10-year-old friend Benjamin. Carter challenged himself to swim the entire length of the pool underwater, but blacked out and sunk to the bottom about three-quarters of the way through.

Benjamin quickly realized his friend was in trouble and jumped in to save him, managing to bring him to the edge of the pool.

Lifeguards brought Carter out of the pool, and two two bystanders, Dr. Ryan Derman, a local physician, and Nicholas Spencer, an off-duty paramedic firefighter, began administering CPR.

Derman and Spencer took turns with chest compressions and rescue breaths, and after several minutes, Carter’s chest finally rose, and he began breathing again.

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Mike Humphrey, EMS Operations Officer with LFES says, “This is a classic example of a silent drowning, where there are no obvious signs of distress. If Benjamin hadn’t been watching out for his friend, the outcome could have been tragically different.”

LFES had the reunion event at Fire Station #1 on Friday to honour Benjamin for his heroics, as well as the heroics of Derman, Spencer and the lifeguards.

Candice, Carter’s mother said, “There are not many people who are trained in CPR and even fewer who have the specialized skills and experience to provide effective CPR. I don’t want to imagine the outcome had it not been for everyone’s willingness to act quickly and save my son’s life.”

The department is stressing the importance of CPR knowledge in the wake of the incident. They say CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival in the event of cardiac arrest, and encourage everyone to learn it.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.

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