County Receives Defibrillators for Townships

By Jeff Green

---

Members of the Frontenac County paremedics demonstrate how to use the new defibrillators

Eighteen Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are being deployed at locations throughout Frontenac County, as part of a $4 million public-private initiative in Ontario to bring the life-saving technology to public spaces.

At a presentation at the Frontenac County offices last week, Beth Collins from the Heart and Stroke Foundation was on hand to mark the occasion with members of the Frontenac Paramedic Services and municipal politicians.

“The Heart and Stroke Foundation, in partnership with the Ontario Government and the Frank Cowan Foundation, is making possible the purchase, installation and associated training for AEDs under the program. One day, AEDs will become as commonplace as fire extinguishers in Ontario,” she said.

Two paremedics from the county service were on hand to demonstrate how the AEDs work. As soon as they are opened, a voice command system goes through all the steps for their use, and they require very little training to operate.

In conjunction with a push for basic CPR training for as many people as possible, AEDs will save the lives of people who suffer cardiac arrest in public places.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, in Ontario alone, approximately 6,500 cardiac arrests occur each year. The odds of survival for an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are approximately 5%. With each passing minute, the probability of survival decreases.

“Because the odds are almost four times greater if someone performs CPR immediately, and when combined with early defibrillation, AEDs can increase survival rates to 50% of more if delivered in the first few minutes,” says Paul Charbonneau of Frontenac County Emergency Services. “We are very pleased with the potential of today's announcement to save lives”.

Charbonneau also pointed out that in the rural areas, because of distances that have to be traveled, ambulance response times are not what they are in urban areas, so CPR training and AEDs are even more important.

“An early intervention, coupled with an immediate 911 call, can often be a person's best chance,” he said.

In picking out the locations for the 18 new defibrillators, the Frontenac County paramedics worked with the township volunteer fire departments, who often provide emergency first response.

Five units will be located in North Frontenac: at North of 7 Restaurant in Plevna, the Clar-Mill Hall, the Barrie Hall (Cloyne), the Harlowe Hall, and the Ompah Hall.

In Central Frontenac, three units will be deployed: at the Sharbot Lake Medical Centre, the Sharbot Lake Legion Hall, and the Arden Legion Hall.

In South Frontenac, four units will be installed: at the South Frontenac Township Office (Sydenham), the Public Works Office at Keeley Road, the Sydenham Legion Hall, and the Rural Visions Centre.

The remaining six units will be distributed in the Township of Frontenac Islands, four on Wolfe Island and two on Howe Island.

All of the units are slated for deployment in the coming month, and training sessions will accompany their arrival at the designated locations.