In a Moment of Tragedy, Canadians Came Together to Help

On the night of January 15th at Cypress Mountain, an 18-year-old young man tragically fell from a chairlift and passed away. As news of this incident has been shared publicly, our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and everyone impacted by this loss.

My friend and I were first on scene and immediately began providing first aid and CPR with the equipment we had available. Within moments, we were joined by ski patrol, firefighters, nurses, volunteers, friends of the young man, and even a surgeon who stepped in to assist. The coordination, skill, and compassion shown by everyone involved — particularly the Cypress ski patrol team — were remarkable. In a moment of great difficulty, people from all walks of life came together to help.

Seeing so many individuals respond without hesitation reminded me of the strength of our community. In a world that can feel heavy with negativity, the willingness of Canadians to support one another during a crisis made me proud to be part of this country, this city, and this community.

As the story continues to circulate in the news, our thoughts remain with the young man’s family and the many people who witnessed the event. We encourage anyone needing support to access the resources made available through Victims’ Services or Victim Link BC.

In honour of the response that night, and with the hope of empowering more people to be prepared in emergencies, we will be offering free CPR training valued at approximately $10,000, available until the end of February. These courses will be offered in every city where we operate — including Vancouver, Coquitlam, Richmond, Surrey, North Vancouver, Calgary, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Kelowna, Regina, and Winnipeg. Beginning January 23rd, links to free CPR training will be added to each of our course pages as a gesture of gratitude to those who stepped up to help and to Canadians who continue to care deeply for their communities. When more people are trained, more communities are resilient, and more lives can be saved.

Mark Kascha

Owner of Vancouver First Aid