GUELPH, ON – Today, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario celebrated the deployment of 11 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to all Wellington County high schools and 1 to Conestoga College’s Guelph campus.
The 12 AEDs are made possible through contributions from Transamerica Life Canada, Reliance Home Comfort™ and the Gala Royale and its many sponsors and supporters in Guelph and Wellington to the Heart&Stroke Restart a Heart, a Life Program and the Chase McEachern Tribute Fund. This allocation brings the total number of AEDs in Wellington County to 34.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, about 40,000 Canadians experience sudden cardiac arrest each year, the majority of which occur either at home or in public places. For every minute that passes without help, a person’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest drops by seven to 10%. Defibrillation when used in conjunction with CPR in the first few minutes can dramatically improve cardiac arrest survival rates by more than 75%.
“With the help of individuals, community groups and corporate sponsors, like Transamerica Life Canada, Reliance Home Comfort™, Gabriel Frank of Investors Group, LINAMAR and Guelph Mercury one day AEDs will become as commonplace as fire extinguishers in Ontario, to save lives,” says David Sculthorpe, CEO, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.
“The ongoing investment in defibrillators through the Heart and Stroke Foundation will provide people in the Wellington County with important life-saving assistance. With access to these life-saving tools, public facilities in the Wellington County will be safer places for all of us to gather and lead more active and healthy lives,” says Bruce Holbein, Chair of the HSFO Wellington Chapter Council.
Ontario Municipal Emergency Medical Services or equivalent was asked to assess their local needs for defibrillators and apply to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario for funds for AEDs and training. These local applications were reviewed and communities were allocated funds based on criteria including local need, response times, cardiac survival rates and local readiness to support a PAD (Public Access Defibrillator) program.
The expert panel identified 50 communities and Wellington County is one of the benefactors.
The AEDs will be installed over the next few months in all high schools and Conestoga College Guelph campus.
“We are pleased to partner with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario on this initiative,” said Sandy Smith, Deputy Chief, Guelph-Wellington Emergency Medical Services. “AEDs have the potential to make a huge impact on the lives of Canadians and we are really excited to assist in bringing them to high schools and communities across the province.”
Funds for the current 12 AEDs were raised throught a local initiative, the Gala Royale. “It was a great opportunity to work with the Wellington Chapter of HSFO in aid of its fundraising to give back to the community while increasing awareness of such a worthy cause,” said Gabriel Frank of Investors Group.
“We are pleased to be a part of this initiative with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario,” said David Cotton, Director of Sales for Transamerica Life Canada. “AEDs have the potential to make a huge impact on the lives of Canadians and we are really excited to assist in bring them to more schools and communities across the province.”
“This is the first of several AEDs that we will be placing in different communities across Ontario with the help of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Restart a Heart, A Life Program and the Chase McEachern Tribute Fund,” said Chris Cory, Director of Online Strategy and Marketing Partnerships, Reliance Comfort Limited™. “We look forward to building on and strengthening our partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation in the years ahead.”
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada sets the Canadian Guidelines for CPR, defibrillation and other aspects of emergency cardiovascular care in Canada. For more information on our AED program or to make a donation please contact your local Heart and Stroke office in the KItchener. Learning CPR is easy and inexpensive and it could mean saving the life of a friend or family member.
For more information:
Sam AbiSaab, Community Mission Specialist
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario
Tel: (519) 998-1976
Email: sabisaab@hsf.on.ca