Triple Zero hero remains calm under pressure

St John WA Communications Officer Sam Casey is used to taking calls from people during the worst moments of their life, but he rarely gets to put a face to a name.

After a particularly gruelling call in July, however, Sam was finally reunited with a couple who will always be grateful for the help of the State Operations centre call-taker.

When Olyvia dialled Triple Zero (000) in the dead of night, her husband Scott was unresponsive, and she needed to start CPR.

With Sam’s help – and a first aid course under her belt – Olyvia performed life-saving compressions on Scott until the arrival of multiple St John WA crews.

Scott was rushed to hospital, but has made a full recovery, and the couple spoke to ABC Radio about his remarkable survival.

It was during this interview Olyvia and Scott were reunited with Sam.

“It’s very surreal to be standing here and having a conversation with you guys,” Sam said.

“It’s an amazing outcome. It’s incredible.”

Olyvia encouraged everyone to do first aid training.

“You just never know when you’ll need it,” she said.

“I needed it and everything just came flooding back.”

With only about 10 per cent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients surviving, the first few minutes of a medical emergency such as this are crucial.

To find out more about St John WA first aid courses, go to: https://stjohnwa.com.au/first-aid-training/first-aid-courses