‘I’ll remember it for the rest of my life’: Bridge patrol officer’s life-saving actions earn her multiple awards

Payton Deeble is pictured with a bridge patrol vehicle. (Courtesy: Halifax Harbour Bridges)

For Payton Deeble, more than one life was changed after a medical emergency on Halifax’s Angus L. Macdonald bridge.

“It really kind opened my eyes to how just a small action can make such a big impact in somebody’s life,” said Deeble.

On Feb. 8, the 27-year-old bridge patrol officer with Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB) was in the middle of her Saturday night shift when she responded to a stalled Dartmouth-bound vehicle on the Macdonald.

“When I approached the car, I noticed that the driver was kind of slumped back with his eyes open,” she recalled. “He didn’t give a response. I tapped on the window, and nothing. Knocked, nothing.”

Deeble alerted HHB’s operations centre that there was a driver unconscious in his vehicle and to call EHS.

“I started to get a lot more aggressive on the car, just banging on the window. And then luckily enough, a driver that was going through the other lane stopped and asked if I needed any help, and I said, yes. So, he got out with me, and we smashed out the back window in his vehicle.”

From there, Deeble and the Good Samaritan unlocked the doors and placed the unconscious man, a senior, on the bridge deck. Deeble grabbed the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) from her patrol car, while a passenger with the helping stranger performed chest compressions.

“He had no pulse,” adds Deeble. “We got his shirt off, placed the AED on him, and started going through the motions. We did the first shock on him, and we still didn’t get a pulse. And second shock, we still didn’t get a pulse. And by the third shock, we did get a very weak pulse on him. And by that time, luckily enough, EHS was arriving.”

From there, paramedics took the senior to hospital where he was treated for a blocked artery.

“I knew I couldn’t even have a second thought about how intense the situation was or about if I was scared or nervous or anything. I just knew I needed to act, and I needed to act right away because seconds were vital. I knew I needed to do something right away, and I needed to help this man.”

Fortunately, the senior made a full recovery and celebrated his birthday a few days later. He and his wife later met with Deeble privately to thank her for her actions.

“It was surreal,” adds Deeble. “It was such a heart filling moment, from seeing him in such a state on the bridge deck to seeing him doing better. It was amazing.”

It’s also rare. Deeble has been with the HHB for four years.

“I know there’s been a few people there who have been there for a very long time. We’ve seen some really, really intense situations. But from most of the people I spoke with, this was a very, very one-off situation that a lot of people haven’t seen on the bridges before.”

Steven Proctor, the communications manager for HHB, says it’s a ‘very uncommon’ situation.

“Bridge patrol responds to a bunch of different things that are often unexpected,” explains Proctor. “Their routine is broken down vehicles, distracted driving, speeding, that kind of thing. They also respond to incidents on the sidewalk, but it’s very rare to come across something like what Peyton experienced.”

Months later, Deeble has received two security awards for her actions. The GardaWorld Award of Excellence, and a national award from the Canadian Security Lifesaver Association.

“It was such a nice feeling just to have that recognition. I never expected anything like that, you know? I just was doing my job.”

Her coworkers say the accolades are well deserved.

“What a life experience to keep it together in a life-or-death situation,” says Proctor. “To face it head on, having all your training kick in, and have a positive result? I think it’s fantastic. She’s learned she can stand up to just about any critical situation. Bridge patrol is more than an enforcement tool, they’re actually out there helping people.”

While she doesn’t know who stopped to help her that night, she says she appreciates them.

“If it wasn’t for that teamwork, I think it would have been a lot more challenging for me,” adds Deeble. “I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. One hundred per cent.”

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page