The local initiative to place outdoor Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) units at strategic locations in the community has seen quite a bit of progress recently, thanks to some philanthropic people and organizations.
The Leamington Kinsmen Club recently pledged $10,000 toward the purchase of three such units and those units have now been installed at the Leamington Kinsmen Ball Diamonds, Seacliff Park and the Leamington Arts Centre.
In addition, local resident Pamela Evans has also purchased two units and they’ve now been installed at the Leamington Marina and on the Mobile Medical Unit that makes its way around the community.
The Sun Parlour Curling Club now has an outdoor unit as well, through the generosity of one of their members.
Curling Club President Nathan Hamilton was thrilled with the new addition.
“Every second counts in a cardiac emergency,” he said. “After a recent CPR class at the club, one of our members anonymously donated funds to purchase the outdoor defibrillator. We think having a defibrillator accessible outside the curling club is an invaluable resource in helping to protect our community.”
The Town of Kingsville also just installed three units: one at the baseball diamonds, one at Cedar Island Park and one at the Cottam Library.
Pelee Island has now also installed four units, with new defibrillators at the park, marina, administration office and on the firetruck.
According to Essex-Windsor EMS Dave Thibodeau, over 1,200 staff and students in area schools have taken part in classes on how to help people in distress with the defibrillators.
“We’re the only region in the province to have defibrillator units in every school,” says Thibodeau.
Thibodeau says that the push to get the outdoor locations populated with units is crucial to help with people experiencing cardiac arrest. Every second counts and he says that sometimes an ambulance is 10-20 minutes away when the call comes in.
The outdoor units are easy to use and may just save a life at one of the area’s sports fields, parks or marinas.
As units are added, they are also added to the Pulse Point app that tracks where you are in relation to the closest defibrillator.
Thibodeau says that 9-1-1 dispatch will also have access to the Pulse Point app and when someone calls 9-1-1 about a victim experiencing cardiac symptoms, they will be able to tell the caller where the nearest outdoor unit is.
Essex-Windsor EMS is also lending two additional units to the Hogs for Hospice event this weekend to provide full cardiac emergency coverage at Seacliff Park in addition to the one installed down near the amphitheatre.
Thibodeau met with Kinsmen Club representative Wayne Jeffery and acting District Chief of Essex-Windsor EMS Dan Suvajdzin on Thursday, July 24 at the ball diamonds in Leamington to have a look at the newly installed unit.
The PulsePoint AED app is available through the Apple Store and Google Play for Androids. Or you can visit countyofessex.ca for more information and click on Emergency Services.
