CPR second nature to 'Superman'

Chris Squires meets Jayden Huynh and his parents Emily and Victor again yesterday. Photo / Mark Mitchell

A "Superman" who resuscitated a baby after Monday's earthquake has been revealed as a father-of-two who has saved a life before.

Chris Squires saved 7-month-old Jayden Huynh by performing CPR on the checkout counter of Rangiora New World after the child had a seizure about an hour after the magnitude 6.3 quake on Monday afternoon.

Mr Squires was with his daughter Scarlett, 3, when he noticed the mother and baby in front of him were in distress.

"I just thought 'something needs to be done' and told [Jayden's father] to call an ambulance. Then, my training just kicked in.

"I lifted him on to the counter, gave him three short breaths, put him on his side and checked his pulse," he said.

It was not the first time Mr Squires had saved a life - he once performed CPR when a work colleague collapsed in the office.

Mr Squires learned CPR, including how to perform it on a baby, with St John.

"You have to be careful with a baby because you can over inflate their lungs and do more damage. It's a testament to my training that I just knew what to do instinctively."

Jayden's father, Victor Huynh, said there was no doubt Mr Squires' actions saved Jayden's life. Yesterday, Mr Squires met the family who wanted to thank him personally for what he did.

However, Mr Squires, a father-of-two, said: "I don't think I'm a Superman as such. There were probably about 50 people in the supermarket who knew CPR, but someone had to step up and do it

"I have a 6-month-old boy and if anything happened to him I would hope someone would do the same thing."

After helping Jayden, Mr Squires paid for his groceries and left.

"At the time I didn't think I'd done anything amazing. I saw the ambulance arrive and knew he was in good hands. I just wanted to get back home to my family after the aftershocks."

Mr Squires' wife and children were very proud of him.

"I don't think they believed me when I came home and told them what happened, until they saw it in the newspaper. I think the whole situation highlights the importance of all parents doing a basic first aid course."