It is no secret that Black Diamond Group tends to attract truly exceptional individuals – and this story is no exception! It is not every day you read about your colleague saving someone's life, let alone their father's. Well, our very own Patrick Grubbs, Site Superintendent, BOXX Major Projects, did just that!
Patrick learned CPR (or cardiopulmonary resuscitation) as part of the safety requirements and training for his position with BOXX Modular. Little did he know it would be this training, coupled with his quick thinking and responsive actions, that would end up saving his father's life.
On January 28, 2022, Dave Grubbs (Patrick's father) suffered cardiac arrest after returning home from shoveling snow at his granddaughter's house. He thought it might have been heartburn, so he took some antacids. Very quickly, Dave began to feel something wasn't right. His daughter-in-law, a nurse, instructed his wife to call 911 and ask Patrick to come over and check on him.
“I was running on adrenaline at that point. The next 20 minutes were like a flash.”
Patrick arrived at the house, and his father was convulsing in a chair – he began chest compressions and rescue breaths and continued to perform CPR on his father for 29 minutes as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
A year later, Patrick's father is doing well and incredibly thankful for his son's life-saving actions!
This is a brief summary of this heroic tale; you can read the news story here.
Questions with Patrick Grubbs
What is your role at Black Diamond Group? How long have you worked here?
I am a superintendent for construction services under MSS. Started in July of 2021.
Where did you learn CPR?
The first CPR class I took in Grade school and have had many refresher courses as it is required for my position.
Do you think everyone should know CPR?
I encouraged everyone to take a CPR course and a refresher course as often as possible. You never know when the knowledge will save someone's life.
How did you stay calm in that situation?
The training I have had helped me recognize and act but honestly, I was anything but calm.
How is your dad doing?
He recently graduated from cardiac rehabilitation and has been recovering very well. Statistically, the survival rate of a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital is less than 12%.
Saving someone's life is an amazing accomplishment – especially your father! How did you feel afterwards? I was only a small part of a team that saved his life. The cardiologist and nursing staff at the hospital, along with the EMT, never gave up because I didn't give up.
How did your family react when they heard the news?
Everyone is extremely proud of me.
What is the best piece of advice you could give to someone in an emergency?
Call 911 to activate emergency service before it becomes a full-blown emergency if possible. Don't give up follow your training and keep going until help arrives.
Safety First, Always
This story is a great reminder of the importance of prioritizing safety – at the workplace and at home. At Black Diamond Group, we are committed to maintaining a culture that values and promotes a safe working environment. Our goal is an incident-free workplace – one without injuries, occupational illnesses and unregulated environmental releases from our operations
