I met Mike within a few days of moving to Abbotsford two decades ago.

My first action upon taking up residence in Abbotsford was to get a Library card. After all, what could possibly be more important upon arrival in a new community than to secure one’s access to the local Library? As a bonus I got access to materials in all the Fraser Valley Regional Libraries.

My second action was to purchase a pool pass so I could swim lengths. I swim lengths pretty much on a daily basis; Mike is a lifeguard; it would have been hard not to have met.

Since Mike does on occasion stutter it was fortunate for me that I have a policy of being nice and polite to any individual who I may find myself depending on to save my life. The reason I say fortunate is that being polite and engaging in conversation with Mike allowed me to discover that the little patience that was required in listening to what Mike had to say was amply rewarded by the interesting things he had to say.

I haven’t had the chance to converse with Mike much in recent years as he guards mostly at the Matsqui wave pool and I had stopped using the Matsqui pool when Matsqui had become much less length swimmer friendly. Choosing to drive past Matsqui on my way to the length swimming accommodating and friendly confines of the pool at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre. So I was pleased when guard rotation brought him to the ARC pool for several months.

I cannot remember exactly how it was that we arrived at discussing the change in First Aid protocol that had tourniquet use out and packing the wound and pressure as the new standard. But that is where we arrived at.

Mike commented that he had a situation at MRC with a woman with a little child, a slip and the need to deal with a wound that had him wishing for a third hand to keep pressure on the wound will able to deal with the child and a possible head trauma for the woman.

So he had invented a device to keep pressure on a wound and free up both hands to deal with other injuries or problems. Better yet, when he had the opportunity he had gone on-line and shown me video of the device on youtube.

So today Mike enquired as to how I was and in reply I sang my appreciation of the Air-conditioner faerie who had dropped an air-conditioner at my place last year and how that was permitting me to sleep while the heat was interfering with the sleep of some people I knew.

Mike commented that he had invented a device to provide air-conditioning and that when he had the opportunity he would show it to me. And………that he had invented many devices because he loved to invent things. Which had me thinking “what a great throwaway line”; and “I know an inventor”; and wondering if there was anything he could invent to make life easier for the homeless.

Our conversation about Mike’s inventions and inventing reminded me that I wanted to ask his permission to write about the local inventor I had known for years as a lifeguard and only recently discovered his ability and passion to invent.

Mike was surprised (and pleased) with the request for permission to share the video of his wound device.

I asked “how could I not share the fact that Abbotsford has an Inventor and that he had invented a device for use in First Aid for wound care?”

If you want to see the video of the device just click on the link to Mike Fitzpatrick’s Hemorrhage Control Device.

Mike the Inventor. As Mr Spock would say, “Fascinating”.