Yesterday, the Province announced it will be providing more than 1,000 free defibrillators to public places in order to ensure the life saving help cardiac arrest victims need is nearby.
“When cardiac arrest strikes, a defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death, so having more defibrillators will help increase the chance of survival,” said Premier Greg Selinger at the announcement.
New legislation, the Defibrillator Public Access Act, recognizes that 85 per cent of cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital. The first legislation of its kind in Canada, the Act passed with all-party support in 2011 to ensure more defibrillators are available in public places. Following public consultations and advice from an expert advisory group including paramedics and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, new regulations were proclaimed yesterday listing the types of public places that must have a defibrillator in place including high-traffic public facilities such as gyms, arenas, community centres, golf courses, schools and airports among others.
“As a paramedic, I have seen the life-saving difference defibrillators make during sudden cardiac arrest before I arrive on the scene,” said MGEU Local 911 Paramedic Chris Broughton. “Manitoba’s new legislation will not only ensure defibrillators are more widely available, but in those critical moments following a cardiac arrest, the legislation will assist bystanders in quickly finding and using a defibrillator in public places.”
To assist facilities with installing a defibrillator, the Manitoba government will:
•provide designated premises with over a year to acquire and install the automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by Jan. 31, 2014;
•provide funding to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba to purchase over 1,000 defibrillators to be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis; and
•partner 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.
AEDs deliver an electric shock to the heart and are programmed to detect if a person is having an irregular heart rhythm that indicates potential cardiac arrest. 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.
The new legislation not only requires defibrillators to be installed at designated public places but 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 will be shared with 911 dispatchers to help those trying to care for a cardiac arrest victim find the nearest defibrillator.
A full list of designated public places that will be required to have a defibrillator on site, as well as information about the types of defibrillators that are acceptable and how they must be installed and registered is available at www.Manitoba.ca/health/aed.
More information is available at www.heartandstroke.mb.ca/AEDlegislation and applications for free defibrillators can be submitted to the Heart and Stroke Foundation starting January 7.