Peggy Revell
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) will be installed in 16 schools across the district in the hope of saving the lives of students, staff, and community members in emergencies.
The AEDs—meant to be used alongside CPR in the case of cardiac arrest—have been made possible through funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario’s “Restart a Heart, Restart a Life Campaign,” the Chase McEachern Tribute Fund, Transamerica Life Canada, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
These come on top of the 20 AEDs that were donated and distributed to public places across the district earlier this year.
Speaking on behalf of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario last Thursday, Terry Hill thanked all those involved with bringing the AEDs to the schools.
Roughly 40,000 Canadians experience cardiac arrest every year, he noted, and survival rates improve significantly if CPR and AEDs are used as soon as possible.
“Statistics indicate that CPR and AEDs can mean the difference between life and death,” Hill stressed. “Which is why the Heart and Stroke Foundation is advocating the placement of these units in more public places and providing the training required for them.”
The Foundation is looking forward to the day when AEDs can be found in all public places and are as “commonplace as fire extinguishers,” Hill added.
“Just to give you an idea of why these are important—we have a very large district to serve,” noted Dan McCormick, Health Services manager for the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board which helped to organize bringing AEDs to the district.
“In our area, we have about 15,000 square kilometres that our ambulance service covers and in that area we have a population of about 22,000 people. It’s a very spread-out area,” he explained.
“While the provincial norm is about 12 people per square kilometre, we’re down to around two to three in some cases.”
While the four ambulance bases across the district are staffed 24/7 with paramedics who have all the training and equipment for saving lives at any time, McCormick said the size of the district means paramedics can’t always be at a locations right away when they are needed.
“This AED initiative and CPR initiative is very important to put that care in the community and hopefully save that life,” he stressed.
Dan Belluz, chairman of the Rainy River District School Board, expressed how pleased the board was to have the AEDs at the schools, noting the local public board already had taken the initiative years ago to install a defibrillator at Fort Frances High School.
“If we can save one life with these defibrillators, it’s really an inexpensive project,” Belluz stressed, saying the health and safety of all students is a priority.
“Having the defibrillators in the school, it’s a safety measure that we are so pleased to be able to give to our school communities,” echoed Mary-Catherine Kelly, director of education for the Northwest Catholic District School Board, while thanking the various organizations who supported the initiative.
With the physical fitness of students a priority, and numerous activities occurring in schools both during the day, evenings, and on weekends, the AEDs are an added measure for safety in the schools for children, staff, and community partners, she noted.
“So thank you so much for the contribution for the donation to happen,” Kelly stressed.
Within the public board, AEDs will be located at Rainy River High School, Fort Frances High School, Atikokan High School, J.W. Walker, Robert Moore, Crossroads, Sturgeon Creek, Donald Young, Northstar Community School, Riverview, and Mine Center School, as well as at the board office and training room.
AEDs for the Catholic board will be placed at St. Francis, St. Michael’s, and Our Lady of the Way School. The final AED will be located at St. Patrick’s Separate School in Atikokan.
