Health

Public Thanked for Helping Register More Than 1,000 AEDs

Essex-Windsor EMS is thanking the public for helping it locate and add to its registry more than 1,000 publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Chief Justin Lammers on Monday (Dec. 2) presented Tecumseh resident Andrea Ducharme with an Essex-Windsor EMS meritorious service coin for locating more than 20 AEDs. He also applauded EMS staff and members of the public who have helped register AEDs and raise awareness about how the devices can save lives in cases of cardiac arrest.

“The sooner an AED is applied, the better the chances of survival,” Chief Lammers said. “Much like smoke detectors help give people a chance to escape before firefighters arrive, AEDs allow members of public to start assisting someone suffering cardiac arrest while paramedics are on the way.”

If a sudden cardiac arrest victim receives defibrillation through an AED within the first minute, the survival rate is estimated at 90 per cent. For every minute that passes without defibrillation, the probability of survival decreases by seven to 10 per cent.

The initiative to map AEDs in Essex County and Windsor began after Essex-Windsor EMS adopted PulsePoint AED, one of the most widely used types of software for this purpose. There are now 1,041 publicly accessible AEDs mapped and registered with Essex-Windsor EMS. More are being added as awareness grows.

The PulsePoint AED smartphone app allows users to easily upload photos of AEDs and mark their locations on a map. Once the information is verified by Essex-Windsor EMS, it is published on the map, which is available to the public on the PulsePoint AED app.

More importantly, the information is put at the fingertips of ambulance communications officers, who take 911 calls and dispatch paramedics. The communications officers can quickly direct callers to the nearest AED in cases of cardiac arrest.

Andrea Ducharme, her husband Dustin and two of their three children (Elise, 13, and Spencer, 11) took part in an AED and CPR awareness session presented by Essex-Windsor EMS in early 2024. At the end of the session, paramedic Dave Thibodeau showed the participants how to download and use the PulsePoint AED app.

“Taking the awareness session was definitely an eye-opener for us,” said Andrea, who was intrigued and keen to get involved.

Soon, she and the rest of the family, including eight-year-old Lila, were looking for AEDs in every arena in Essex County and Windsor they went to during hockey season. They also scoured other public places they visited. They snapped photos of the AEDs they found and Andrea uploaded them using the PulsePoint AED app.

“My family and I were on a mission,” she said. “If there’s a way to help the public and if it’s as easy as taking picture, do it.”

At last count, the Ducharmes had identified 22 publicly accessible AEDs and the mission continues. Andrea said she encourages others to download the PulsePoint AED app and join their quest by becoming more aware of how AEDs can make a difference in saving lives.

You can go to the Essex-Windsor EMS Automated External Defibrillators web page for more information and quick links to download the PulsePoint AED app.

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