A second-year Engineering and Commerce student has proven his skills reach far beyond the classroom by helping to save a man’s life recently.
Volunteer surf lifesaver Brodie Edwards was on patrol with his father near Ocean Reef last week when the pair noticed a group of people standing on the beach waving them down.
After landing their boat and wading to shore, they noticed a man lying prone on the ground, suffering a heart attack.
Brodie immediately sprung into action and began CPR.
“I was thinking, is he alive? Is he going to die?” the 19-year-old told Curtin News.
After Brodie worked on the man for 10 minutes, ambulance officers arrived and continued his work until a helicopter airlifted the man to hospital where he later recovered.
Brodie said the rescue was the first time in more than a decade of lifesaving that he’d had to resuscitate somebody.
“When he went off in the helicopter it was (a feeling of) relief, but it feels pretty weird,” he said.
“People say, ‘Oh you helped save a guy’s life’, but it doesn’t feel real.
“I guess with all the adrenaline and the emotion you kind of feel numb.”
Brodie volunteers his lifesaving skills on weekends, but after his recent experience says he is considering taking on more lifesaving work in the future.
“It’s just good being at the beach, and being there if anything goes wrong,” he said.
“Plus I do it with my dad, so it’s good to spend time with him.
“I’ve looked into doing paid patrols during the week as well, but I kind of like volunteering.”
