I came across a man dying... and felt totally useless

February 27, 2026 — 2:00am

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I’ve always fancied myself a man of action in an emergency.

From memory, I think I’ve done a first aid course three times in my life: the first around 2007 to work FIFO; the second, an office refresher course around 2017; and the third, an infant first aid course in 2023.

Surely with those courses rattling around my grey matter, I’d be prepared when faced with a genuine emergency.

Instead, I was more first-aid dummy than first-aid responder.

After picking my son up from daycare this week, I walked into the car park to find a man lying on his back and a woman performing CPR.

I was dumbfounded. I’ve been to intense situations before in this job, but usually once the issue is all in hand – never without the presence of emergency services........

© WA Today