SALISBURY — During his shift Sunday, Officer Travis Tremblay returned to The Winner’s Circle to check in on Billy Harris, the man whose life he helped save earlier this month.
Harris, a longtime bartender at The Winner’s Circle, suffered a medical emergency Nov. 18, collapsing behind the bar while on duty. Sunday marked his first time back at the watering hole he’s worked at for nearly four decades.
Tremblay spoke about seeing Harris as he continues his recovery.
“He said that his chest is still sore from the CPR, but he was saying, ‘I’d rather have sore ribs than be dead,’ so it was a good experience,” Tremblay said.
Winner’s Circle owner Jeff Duford said Harris has been part of the establishment for about 38 years.
“We’re celebrating 50 years this year – he’s been here for the majority of it,” Duford said.
Duford said that since the near-death experience, Harris has been doing great and he got to meet those who helped save him when he visited Sunday.
“He already knows Patricia and Laurie because they’re a part of our running club, as well as the police officer that arrived first,” Duford said.
Recalling the incident, he explained that patrons immediately helped Harris when he collapsed as first responders were contacted.
“There was a few people, actually. I mean, first Tina LaCourse, then there was Patricia Lavoie, Laurie Manning,” Duford said.
He praised their efforts in helping to save Harris.
“Thankfully, they knew exactly what to do. They just jumped right in and took over,” Duford said.
Tremblay was the first first responder to arrive.
“I was actually going to grab a coffee at Aroma Joe’s when the call went out, so I was literally right there, so it was awesome as far as being at the right place, right time,” Tremblay said.
He said he arrived within 30 seconds.
“We had just had one earlier that day, an unconscious male, someone went down at CVS and he fainted after getting a COVID shot, so they’re not always the big one like this, so I wasn’t really thinking too much of it when I first went out,” Tremblay said.
He spoke about how as the updates quickly came in, he realized the severity of the situation.
“He wasn’t breathing, the CPR was already in progress, that’s when I really stepped it up, I ran into the building,” Tremblay said.
Tremblay said he grabbed the automated external defibrillator from his cruiser and found Harris.
“There were two women assisting with CPR, and I guess they had just gotten certified the week before in CPR, so that was cool. That was a big help,” Tremblay said.
He said their immediate action was vital in saving Harris’ life.
“Early compressions do make all the difference in the world,” Tremblay said.
Duford shared a similar sentiment.
“I guess the people at the emergency room in Portsmouth were telling Bill that them jumping on him right away and giving him the compressions that they’re supposed to do really saved his life,” Duford said.
Tremblay explained that the women stayed with him and assisted as he took over CPR and began using the AED.
“We got the pads on him, I got his shirt off, and then the AED just instructed us all the way through from there on out,” Tremblay said.
That continued until Salisbury firefighters arrived to take over.
“We got his pulse back,” Tremblay said. “He was breathing on his own on the way out.”
Reflecting on what transpired that Saturday, Tremblay said helping save someone’s life can make what feels like a heavy job feel a little lighter.
“The job definitely has its ups and downs, but calls like that make it all worth it,” Tremblay said.
Chief Thomas Fowler praised Tremblay.
“It proves that the amount of training we do pays off. He was calm, he knew exactly what to do,” Fowler said.
Duford said he hopes to have Harris back behind the bar serving drinks soon.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.