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Fire chief praises North Delta teens

Pair team up to offer assistance to heart attack victim
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Delta Fire Chief Dan Copeland visited Ashley Burwash (right) and Jennifer Luu (below) who attempted to help a man not breathing at a school playing field.

Delta Fire Chief Dan Copeland praised a pair of North Delta girls for their efforts to assist a man who suffered a heart attack.

Copeland paid a visit to Seaquam Secondary school April 7 to personally commend 14-year-olds Ashley Burwash and Jennifer Luu.

The pair, who go to separate schools and don't know each other, were at the school's playing field March 30 when they both noticed a 50-year-old man who was brushing his dog suddenly lie down.

After a few minutes the girls became concerned and investigated further and found the man was not breathing.

Burwash had a cell phone and called 9-1-1 while Luu began CPR. Both had an understanding of CPR from swimming lessons and they were given additional guidance by the E-Comm dispatcher over the phone.

They continued attending to the man until Delta Fire crews and ambulance paramedics arrived on scene and took over first aid responsibilities.

The man was taken to hospital were he lay in a coma until passing away about a week later.

Chief Copeland said he was encouraged to see that Delta's young citizens grasped the opportunity to help others and worked as a team.

"An excellent quality to see in our future generation of leaders," Copeland said.

To mark their efforts, Copeland visited the pair at their respective schools—Luu at Burnsview Secondary and Burwash at Seaquam Secondary.

He presented them with a Delta Fire & Emergency Services pin and T-shirt along with a letter of appreciation.