LFES teams recognized for Excellence in Resuscitation

Cardiac arrest can happen suddenly and without warning. It can affect anyone, at any age. When it does, every second matters. Quick, high-quality CPR can make the difference between life and death. 

On World Restart a Heart Day, members of Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES) were recognized for their lifesaving efforts at the Excellence in Resuscitation Awards ceremony hosted by the EMS Foundation in Red Deer.

This annual event honours paramedics and emergency responders from across Alberta who show outstanding performance in cardiac arrest calls.  Several LFES paramedic-firefighters received High-Performance CPR and Resuscitation Awards. The recognition highlights their ability to meet key lifesaving standards, including continuous, high-quality CPR with strong teamwork and precision.

LFES proudly recognizes the following crews for their exceptional efforts:

• Firefighter-paramedics Braedan Heyland and Dawson Folk received the Arduous Conditions/Peer Choice Award for their exceptional response to a cardiac arrest on a golf course. They acted quickly, worked as a team and helped the patient survive with full neurological recovery. 
• Firefighter-paramedics Dawson Folk and Dan Paterson were recognized for excellence in CPR performance and resuscitation. Their precise, high-quality CPR and advanced care helped restore the patient’s pulse.
• Firefighter-paramedics Johnathan Bruggeling and Luke Edel earned recognition for their strong CPR metrics and post-resuscitation care following a witnessed cardiac arrest, with the patient later discharged from the hospital neurologically intact. 

“These recognitions reflect the professionalism of our teams,” says Greg Adair, Chief of Fire and EMS. “They show the strength of our training programs and the ongoing feedback that helps our paramedics refine their skills and deliver exceptional care.”

“I’m proud of the professionalism and heart our teams demonstrate every day,” says Carly Kleisinger, Director of Community Services with the City of Lethbridge. “These awards highlight the difference they make for families and for our community when it matters most.” 

Also honoured was a team from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI) for their quick response to a sudden cardiac arrest earlier this year. During basketball practice, Grade 9 student Cameron Boehme collapsed unexpectedly. Teachers Ross Bekkering, Darren Majeran and Tysen Pushor, along with students Cameron Platt and Seth Bridge, called 9-1-1, began CPR and used the on-site AED. LFES firefighter-paramedics Eric Bradbury and Robert Cloherty, and Primary Care Paramedic student Joseph Vanden Berg, arrived shortly after to provide advanced care. They were later joined by firefighter-paramedics Mark Smith, Eric Saban and Jarret Fowler, whose coordinated efforts helped ensure a successful resuscitation.  

Their fast and coordinated actions helped save Cameron’s life. In recognition, the group received the Project Brock Lifesaver Excellence Award, which honours the Chain of Survival: early recognition, early CPR, early defibrillation and advanced care. 

The award was created in memory of 16-year-old Brock Ruether, who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in 2012. Although an AED was available, it was not used in time to save him. Since then, his mother, Kim Ruether, has dedicated her efforts to improving cardiac arrest education and training across Alberta. 

“The Project Brock Award celebrates every person who plays a role in saving a life,” says  Ruether, founder of the Project Brock Foundation. “The quick, coordinated actions at LCI are an inspiring example of the Chain of Survival in action. It shows how training, teamwork and taking action can make all the difference.”

Ruether also trains emergency communications officers to recognize cardiac arrest and guide callers through CPR. She trained the dispatcher who answered the 9-1-1 call that day – support that helped those on scene act quickly and confidently.  

Cameron has since returned to school and sport. A survivor reunion was held in February to reunite him with the teachers, students and first responders who helped save his life. LCI also hosted a pep rally to celebrate their actions. 

Following the event, LFES worked with LCI and the Lethbridge School Division to create the school’s Cardiac Arrest Response Plan (CARP). Step-by-step CARP posters are now displayed beside AEDs and in the gymnasium to remind people how to act in an emergency. LFES and the School Division are expanding the CARP initiative across all city schools and city recreation facilities, with similar collaborations underway with Lethbridge Polytechnic and the Lethbridge Soccer Centre. 

“Every second counts when someone’s heart stops,” says Mike Humphrey, EMS Operations Officer with LFES. “These recognitions speak to our crews’ readiness and commitment to providing the highest standard of care when it matters most.”

It takes a community to save a life. Download the Cardiac Arrest Response Plan poster and display it in a visible location to help others act quickly when every second matters.

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