The Contra Celsum S-Files

Above and Beyond

The S-Files seek to recognise outstanding civic actions.  One such occurred at the parking terminal at Auckland International Airport in recent days.  An older man collapsed on the ground.  His family were in shock.  An Air New Zealand cabin crew, having just come off shift, happened to spot the collapsed man as they were walking to their cars.  Then their training took over.

The NZ Herald reports:

When Aleisha Kerr came across a man lying on the ground surrounded by his family, it was clear he was in trouble and that she needed to act fast.  The Air New Zealand crew member's first-aid training kicked in and she and two colleagues began CPR, helping to save the man's life.  The man stopped breathing and collapsed outside Auckland Airport on Saturday.


Ms Kerr and fellow cabin crew members Bryce Good and Ann-Maree O'Leary had just returned on a flight from Sydney when they noticed a commotion in the terminal carpark.  They found the collapsed man, and his wife and two young grandchildren struggling with what to do.  Ms Kerr said she and her colleagues instinctively launched into action.  "I saw the man on the ground and it was clear he was in trouble. I got down on the ground to check for vital signs and basically switched into what I'd been taught as part of my crew training.  I tried to see if he was breathing by watching his chest and listening for breathing sounds. But it was really hard to tell because he was wearing a thick jersey and it was windy," she said.  "I did what I'd been taught ...tapping him on the chest and shouting at him to see if I could get a response."

The group administered CPR as they waited for an ambulance and the airport's medical staff to arrive.  They also helped to calm the man's wife and get the children away from the distressing scene.  Ms Kerr said: "He made a noise and lifted a hand just as the paramedics arrived.  "I was relieved to know that he was alive, and rolled him into the recovery position as the medical experts took over."

Now, maybe at that point, we may be tempted to think that these folk were "only doing their job", albeit off duty.  If so, then their efforts saved a precious life that day, and they are to be commended for it.  But the story does not end there:

The flight crew later took the man's granddaughters - aged about 4 and 6 - to their Mangere home as their grandmother accompanied their grandfather to hospital.  "They were okay," Ms Kerr said.  "They were chatting to my colleague and me on the drive home, but naturally they were worried about their poppa." [Emphasis, ours.]

We are willing to speculate that taking the kids home, after the immediate crisis had passed, is not to be found in Air New Zealand's cabin crew procedures manual.

The Contra Celsum S-Award is hereby bestowed upon Aleisha Kerr and her fellow Air New Zealand cabin crew members, for a job well done, above and beyond, as they say.  Salutary.  Splendid.