Gerry D’Amour, second from left, receives the American Heart Association Heartsaver Award at the Greene Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Monday. screenshot from video

GREENE — When Mike Shaw dropped to the ground unexpectedly in August, his friend Gerry D’Amour was quick to act, which ended up saving Shaw’s life.

Shaw was standing in D’Amour’s driveway when he collapsed. D’Amour’s wife, Barbara, witnessed the event, went to Shaw’s aid and started chest compressions. Her husband soon joined her and took over the task of performing CPR while she called 911.

Gerry D’Amour was awarded the American Heart Association’s Heartsaver Hero plaque Monday at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting. 

Responding to the dispatch call, Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office deputies James Phillips and Dylan Morin arrived at the scene and took over life-saving measures from D’Amour.

When Greene Fire Department Emergency Medical Technician Ben Westman came onto the scene, Shaw still unresponsive and was taken by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, accompanied by United Ambulance Service workers John Hamel and Norm Richardson.

Shaw made a full recovery and was at Monday’s meeting when D’Amour was awarded the plaque. D’Amour shared the honor with his wife, who was quick to act until D’Amour could take over from her, he said.

Working as a ski patroller, D’Amour has performed the measure on the side of a wintry mountain.

Westman said Wednesday that Shaw “got very, very lucky that day” since the people whose home he was visiting knew CPR and that first responders arrived on scene soon enough to take over the task.

Westman urged anyone not familiar with CPR to learn the life-saving technique.