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Mail carrier felt pressured to perform CPR on unconscious woman

A 911 dispatcher repeatedly instructed him to give CPR even after he voiced concerns that she might have overdosed

By EMS1 Staff

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – A mail carrier says he was repeatedly instructed to perform CPR to an unconscious woman despite telling the 911 dispatcher he was concerned she had overdosed.

CBC reported Corey Gallagher, 30, was delivering mail when found a woman lying unconscious in an apartment lobby. He feared the woman was suffering a fentanyl overdose. That’s what he told 911 when he called, and an EMS provider stayed on the phone with him until an ambulance arrived.

“He was trying to give me instructions on what to do. I told him, ‘This person, I’m pretty sure, is overdosed,’” said Gallagher.

"[He] kept telling me, ‘I’m gonna need you to do this, you’re gonna have to do this, get close, I need you to do this, I need you to put your hand here, hand there,’” Gallagher said. “I’m like, ‘I don’t feel comfortable … there’s white stuff on her shirt.’”

He said moments later a woman entered the building and said the woman was a known drug addict, which reaffirmed Gallagher’s hesitation to not touch her.

The CBC reported that while the Lifesaving Society Manitoba had no comment on the incident, a spokesman said citizens should always hold their safety as the number one priority.

“The first thing we teach to anyone who’s taking our first aid or lifesaving training is they have to ensure safety and that safety starts with themselves,” said public education coordinator Christopher Love.