More than 35,000 Canadian lives are lost each year due to cardiac arrest. It can strike anyone, anywhere, at any time. While many of us have training in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and would put that training to use in an emergency situation, we've gone a step further in improving the chances of saving a life, and we've installed Automated External Defibrillator's in several York Heritage buildings. Combined with CPR, the use of an Automated External Defibrillator can increase the likelihood of saving a person’s life by 50% or more over CPR alone.
AED's are small, portable, easy-to-use devices that assess the heart of a person in cardiac arrest for a shockable rhythm. If such a rhythm is detected, the rescuer is instructed to press a button to deliver a shock or series of shocks, called defibrillation, to the victim’s heart, stopping the heart to allow it to return to a normal rhythm. Until recently, only medical staff used AED’s. However, the latest AED's are so safe and accurate, it's possible for anyone with a few hours of training to learn to operate one safely.
The closer the AED and a trained provider are to the victim, the greater the chance of survival. We want to ensure that there is at least one individual in every building capable of using an AED, so we've trained a number of staff and tenant representatives.
