Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

'Lucky to be alive': Hastings police officer's quick response with AED helps save man's life

Hawkes Bay Today
15 Oct, 2021 01:39 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Rural Community Constable Senior Constable Brad Clark helped save a Havelock North man's life with the AED he was given just two days before. Photo / Eastern District Police

Rural Community Constable Senior Constable Brad Clark helped save a Havelock North man's life with the AED he was given just two days before. Photo / Eastern District Police

The man had no heartbeat and wasn't breathing.

But for the efforts of an off-duty nurse and a Hastings police officer, whose vehicle just two days before had been fitted with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), he likely would have died.

Rural Community Constable Senior Constable Brad Clark was on duty in Havelock North earlier this month when he heard a report of a sudden death come through on the radio, followed by the local fire station sirens going off.

"I was close by when the report came in and thought if the local fire siren is going this person could still be alive, so I shot around the corner to see if I could help," he said.

An off-duty nurse was performing CPR on the man, who Clark said was not breathing and had no heartbeat.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He got the AED - a lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart - out of the ute and shocked him.

"We managed to get him breathing again."

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart. Photo / Eastern District Police
Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart. Photo / Eastern District Police

The shock can potentially stop an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and allow a normal rhythm to resume following sudden cardiac arrest.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When St John Ambulance arrived, the officer on board said the man was "lucky to be alive" thanks to the efforts of those at the scene.

Clark said AEDs were incredible pieces of equipment that save lives. It was the second time he had used one to save a life.

The man concerned is still recovering in hospital but is expected to recover.

Clark's fellow officer, Napier Sergeant Shane Greville, was off duty at the time and heading in to start work when he saw the police ute and flashing lights and stopped to help.

He praised Clark for being "so calm" and showing "real leadership", by providing guidance to others on the scene.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer

Hawkes Bay Today

Heavy rain watch north of Napier, potential to be upgraded to warning

Hawkes Bay Today

Four crashes in Hawke’s Bay send four to hospital


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer
Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer

The changes are part of Hastings' early rollout of lower speed limits.

16 Jul 03:49 AM
Heavy rain watch north of Napier, potential to be upgraded to warning
Hawkes Bay Today

Heavy rain watch north of Napier, potential to be upgraded to warning

16 Jul 01:20 AM
Four crashes in Hawke’s Bay send four to hospital
Hawkes Bay Today

Four crashes in Hawke’s Bay send four to hospital

15 Jul 11:58 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP