Nashville Area Red Cross Recognizes Lifesaving Award Winner

By: Olivette Petersen, American Red Cross Volunteer

Brendan Benis

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 30, 2021 - The American Red Cross Nashville Area Chapter honored Brendan Benis as a Lifesaving Award winner and recipient of the Certificate of Merit. The Certificate of Merit is the oldest of the Lifesaving Awards and one of the highest awards given out by the American Red Cross. The award, signed by the President of the United States, honors a Red Cross trained individual or team of individuals who use their lifesaving skills to respond in an emergency.

On Nov. 20, 2020, Brendan Benis and his wife were on their way home from dinner when they spotted a truck stopped between two lanes of traffic for an unusual amount of time. Benis, along with an additional bystander, stopped to examine the vehicle and noticed that the driver of the car was unresponsive. Benis asked his wife to call 911 and used an onlooker’s glass breaker to access the inside of the car through the back window. Benis removed the unresponsive man from his car and placed him on the ground, at which point he checked for signs of life and began administering compressions. Despite showing periodic signs of life, the man was unable to retain consciousness and solid breathing. Benis was helped by another bystander, and together they performed a total of four rounds of compressions until first responders and paramedics arrived on the scene. After an AED was placed on the man’s chest, they were able to establish a heart rate.

Benis, trained as an American Red Cross CPR and First Aid instructor for the Tennessee Department of Corrections, recounts that on the scene of the emergency, his Red Cross training kicked in immediately. He was able to remain calm, shut any outside distractions, and focus on administering aid to the unresponsive man in need. The music used to guide the pace of compressions in his Red Cross course played in his head as he counted his compressions. 

“Without the Red Cross CPR training I don’t think I would have been able to help save him,” Benis said. He recommends that everyone take a Red Cross Training Course because knowing what to do in a time of crisis will equip individuals to step in and help rather than feel helpless. 

Benis received the Certificate of Merit by Jay Scott, Nashville Area Red Cross Chapter outgoing board chairman. “In my experience with the American Red Cross, I’ve learned that heroes—the brave men and women willing to step forward and help a stranger during their greatest time of need—they’re all around us,” Scott said. “I’ve also learned that these individuals are not common—because to act quickly and decisively during a crisis takes a level of courage reserved only for a chosen few. It is our hope that heroic actions inspire others to get trained in skills that save lives.”

About the American Red Cross:

 The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/tennessee or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossTN.

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