Defibrillators required in designated public buildings
- Details
- Published on Friday, January 31, 2014
myWestman.ca
Beginning today, defibrillators are required by law in designated public buildings in Manitoba to ensure the life saving equipment is available to people in times of critical need.
Manitoba was the first province in the country to develop legislation requiring public places to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) available on site. Under the Defibrillator Public Access Act, designated facilities include several types of high-traffic public places where cardiac arrest is more likely to occur such as gyms, indoor arenas, certain community centres, golf courses, schools and airports.
"In November 2009, I suffered a massive heart attack on the ice while refereeing a minor hockey game. There is little doubt in my mind that if there had not been an AED and people unafraid to get in there and assist me through CPR, I would not be here today," said Chief Perry Batchelor, Altona Police Service in a release. "This is a tremendous piece of legislation which will no doubt save lives."
The Manitoba government has provided more than $1.3 million to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba for 1,000 defibrillators. This included AEDs for schools, community centres, curling clubs, golf courses and other sports venues.
In addition, the province partnered with the foundation to negotiate with multiple distributors to provide discounts ranging from 30 to 40 per cent off the regular retail price to make it easier for facilities designated under the new legislation to purchase a defibrillator.
The legislation also supports public access in an emergency by requiring signage to identify the locations of defibrillators and require they be centrally registered with the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The registry information is shared with emergency medical service dispatchers to help those trying to care for a cardiac arrest victim find the nearest defibrillator. As of Dec. 31, 2,291 AEDs were registered in Manitoba.
Defibrillators deliver an electric shock to restart a stopped heart and are programmed to detect if a person is having an irregular heart rhythm that indicates potential cardiac arrest. AEDs offer step by step instructions so training is not required. If the AED does not detect a shockable heart rhythm, the machine does not deliver a shock.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, defibrillation used with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can dramatically improve cardiac arrest survival rates by 75 per cent or more over CPR alone.
With files from Manitoba news release
