Emergency Medical Services delivers life saving equipment to OKP

Every second counts when it comes to surviving a cardiac arrest, so the Emergency Medical Services team in the District of Nipissing has made it their mission to improve survival by placing public access defibrillators (PADs) in all community centres in the Nipissing District, which include North Bay, Astorville, Temagami, Mattawa, Sturgeon Falls and Verner.

The AEDs (automated external defibrillators) which deliver a electric shocks to the heart are made possible through the teams fundraising efforts for the Chase McEachern Tribute Fund in association with the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

“Thus far we have, I'm very proud to say, 67 of these units in the District of Nipissing. And that's all our high schools arenas, we have some placed in gyms and so on,” says District Emergency Medical Services Manager Jean-Guy Belzile.

The latest installment for the team was made Monday afternoon at One Kids Place, and what makes this instillation special is that this AED is outfitted with child pads. Belzile says there is no set age for sudden cardiac arrest and kids fall victim as well as adults therefore it is important to have the AEDs everywhere.

“Our goal is to have them in every primary school, it will take time, it's a large ask it's a large project but it will take time. If you look at two or three per year it could be done, it will be done.”



To date the PADs program has saved three lives in the district and that is comforting for Judy Sharpe, Executive Director for One Kids Place and the folks who use the facility. She says it is great to have a machine that is preventive in nature.

“We have children coming in with all kinds of health difficulties,” she notes.

“We have the five pediatricians here over in the corner that it's going to be great confidence to all the staff that work hear and parents who bring their kids here.”

Sharpe notes while the defibrillator is easy to use her staff has the necessary training in case they should have to use the equipment.



Belzile's parting comment was, “if you have any friends looking at donating to a good cause this is a good cause, so is One Kids Place.”

A sample of how easy AEDs are to use ...