City gives a nod to efforts making CPR easier

People can turn a cardiac arrest around to save a life without having to touch lips – or possibly break a rib – in 28 of Prince Albert’s civic facilities.

A federal program has funded 11 of the 28 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in all of the City’s community clubs and other locales. Those 11 – which are worth $2,500 each — were installed within the past year.

The national AED program is co-ordinated by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and Lyle Karasiuk with Parkland Ambulance has spearheaded securing AEDs through the program.

Parkland Ambulance administers the program, supports it, helps people apply for grants, and trains people in using AEDs, Karasiuk said.

The devices turn the process of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) into a much simpler one.

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“People often think that ‘oh I could hurt somebody and it might be difficult, and I could make a mistake,’” Karasiuk said.

AEDs eliminate that fear.

“The only mistake you’re really gonna make is one, I don’t know where the device is, and two, I didn’t turn it on,” he said.

Sudden cardiac arrest is not a rare one, with the heart beats of about 40,000 Canadians suddenly stopping each year.

“For every minute that passes without help, a person’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest drops by seven to 10 per cent,” said Lorie Langenfurth, CEO of Saskatchewan’s Heart & Stroke Foundation.

She was one of many people who attended a celebration for all those efforts at Prince Albert’s City Hall on Friday.

MP Randy Hoback was also present, and shared a story from his young 20s, when he was helping coach a peewee hockey team.

“I remember the head coach had a heart attack there. We didn’t have an AED. We didn’t have CPR training. He passed away. And that’s one person who probably would have been standing here today, would have had kids. But because that wasn’t available back then, he’s not,” Hoback said.

The city and surrounding area has more than 250 AED devices.

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