Introducing “Center Stage”; Bryan Wakefield

When news of a OneBeacon employee in Colorado who saved the life of a stranger reached us, we instantly decided people had to hear his story. But little did we know he wasn’t the only OneBeacon employee to display such courage during an emergency. In fact, once we began developing one story, several other instances of our employees’ bravery came to light. Clearly, we needed to create a space to recognize our colleagues.  And what better place than our employee news blog?

We are proud to introduce a new series of Spotlight posts called “Center Stage.” In this feature, we will post your stories of community dedication—some instances of true heroism and others simply heart-warming tales of volunteerism. We already have three incredible stories lined up, so be sure to check back often!

We invite you to read our inaugural post below that shares OneBeacon Program Group’s Bryan Wakefield’s story.

A Stranger in Danger
Center Stage: Bryan Wakefield

Imagine you’re on your lunch break at a quiet family-style Mexican restaurant. It’s just you and a stranger eating your meals alone. All of a sudden, this stranger starts signaling you over. She’s choking and you’re the only one around. What do you do? Do you find an employee or call 911?

Well Bryan, who is based in the OneBeacon Colorado office, found himself in this exact situation. However, he didn’t stop to ask himself these questions. Instead, he rushed across the room to the choking woman and performed the Heimlich maneuver. With one forceful thrust, the woman was breathing again.

This wasn’t the first time Bryan had saved a life. In fact, when Bryan was in college, he saved the life of a boy who was swimming and had gotten in over his head. With training from his Eagles Scout days and workplace CPR training, Bryan has managed to save two lives!

After being called a hero, Bryan said, “I’m a big believer in what you do will come back to you. I have three kids and try to teach them that if you try not to just think about yourself, but instead think about the world as a whole, good things happen.”

To find out more about the Heimlich maneuver click here. To learn what to do in the case of an emergency in the workplace, please refer to the OneBeacon Disaster Policies and Guidelines. And if you have a story to share, email us at marcomm@onebeacon.com!