By A.P. Crawford (ap.crawford@skipatrol.ca)
Audrey Grant and John Grant
On an early July evening, 25-year veteran patroller John Grant was outside on his lakefront property when he heard a loud sound coming from down the shoreline. When he heard screams, he ran down to investigate and saw a man lifting the limp body of a youngster from the water. He was told the child was not breathing. John called for his daughter Audrey, also a patroller, to come and help.
The incident involved two minors on a personal watercraft who collided at high speed collision with a tri-hulled pontoon boat suspended on a lift. The collision caused one of the children to impact the motor of the pontoon boat, inflicting significant facial and groin wounds.
John’s first actions were to ensure that the patient’s airway was clear, and he confirmed that the child was indeed breathing. Bleeding from the patient’s mouth was of concern and had to be monitored, but it was not compromising the airway.
John and Audrey tended to significant bleeding from an extensive wound in the groin area. John removed his belt which he used as a tourniquet and Audrey used a towel to provide direct pressure to the wounds, both to help control the bleeding.
The patient was transported to the local hospital and then airlifted to a larger centre for advanced treatment. After several procedures were performed, the child recovered enough to return home for an extended recovery process.
It is notable that the entire intervention was undertaken with no first aid equipment available, only what John and Audrey had on their person at the time. If not for their skill and rapid intervention, the child may not have survived.
For their quick thinking and use of their CSP first aid skills to save the child’s life, John Grant and his daughter Audrey Grant were awarded the John D. Harper Lifesaving Award in September, 2025.
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