The Summerside Police Department has a defibrillator in one of its patrol cars. One officer hopes it will get 3 more machines in the next budget year.
According to Cpl. Jason Blacquiere, police often arrive before the paramedics during vehicle accidents and other medical emergencies.
Around 85% of cardiac arrest cases in Canada occur outside of hospitals. With an automated external defibrillator (AED) nearby, it can make a big difference. For each minute delay in defibrillation, the survival rate drops by 7 to 10%. After 12 minutes, the survival rate significantly drops to less than 5%.
High price tag
When both CPR and AED are used within 5 minutes of a cardiac arrest, the chances of survival increases by almost 75%.
According to Blacquiere, he could have used a defibrillator in several instances in the last couple of years. He stated that all patrol cars should have one and it is easy to use one in case of emergencies. A defibrillator has a price tag of about $2,000.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a course on CPR and AED and for more information, check out these sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defibrillation