The definition of a volunteer is someone who freely offers to do something. For a person who works in public safety, being a volunteer means so much more than that.
For Bruce McFarlane, a volunteer EMT with the Howard’s Grove Police Department, his commitment to public service takes him on many journeys across Sheboygan County.
On a Saturday in December, he received a page that was only four doors away from his own home. When he heard that it was an infant who was in trouble, he immediately felt the urgency.
Quickly getting to the house and parking his vehicle in front of the residence with the flashers on to notify his fellow first responders, he made his way to the front door, where a woman handed him her child, who appeared lifeless.
Calling upon years of medical experience, McFarlane placed the child on the floor and delivered a series of back flows, eventually clearing the child’s airways, before paramedics arrived to take him to the hospital where he fully recovered.
McFarlane credits his parents with instilling a sense of community in him as he grew up. “You do for others, help when you can and when you’re able to, and that just spilled over into my professional career. I’m looking out for people on a daily basis.”
For his incredible commitment as a volunteer in public safety, Bruce McFarlane is our Salute to Service honoree.
To hear Bruce McFarlane’s story, listen above.
Steve Scaffidi’s Salute to Service is presented by WaterStone Bank and WTMJ.