2021-03-31

AEDs soon to roll out in South Shore schools

by RAISSA TETANISH

All schools in the South Shore Regional Centre for Education will soon be equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

The provincial government announced on March 16 it was purchasing AEDs for all public schools in Nova Scotia currently without one.

According to Ashley Gallant, communications coordinator for the local centre for education, three schools in the region already have an AED in place-Chester Area Middle School, Forest Heights Community School in Chester Basin and Lunenburg's Bluenose Academy.

The province is spending $700,000 to purchase the AEDs.

"The order process is underway and they will be installed as soon as we receive them," Gallant said in an email. "Once they are installed in our schools, they will be added to the provincial registry so that EHS staff can direct people who call 911 to the closest defibrillator during a cardiac emergency," she added.

Derek Mombourquette, the province's minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, described school buildings as the "heart" of communities, noting that organizations and people of all ages use the buildings on evenings and weekends.

"Everyone who enters one of our schools should be confident that a life-saving defibrillator is nearby," Mombourquette said in a government press release. "It is my hope that the defibrillators will never have to be used, but seconds count in a cardiac emergency and having these devices available may save someone's life."

The portable AEDs analyze a person's heart rhythm and deliver a shock to help it return to a more effective rhythm. The defibrillators include audio and visual prompts, making them easy and safe to use. Training on the devices will be included in regular First Aid training.

The province is purchasing up to 350 AEDs. Roughly 70 schools in the province already have an AED. The devices cost about $2,000 each, including a storage cabinet.

There are more than 1,300 AEDs registered in the province. The EHS registry can be found online at https://savelivesns.ca/, which also includes an interactive map where registered defibrillators can be found.

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