The Town of Yarmouth has installed an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) at Town Hall reception.
Wednesday, October 9thth, 2019 - Yarmouth, N.S. – The Town of Yarmouth has installed an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) at Town Hall reception. The addition of the AED came as a result of a motion made at a May Council meeting to have staff investigate adding one as a safety measure for council, staff, and the general public.
The suggestion to install the AED came from Deputy Mayor Phil Mooney. Mooney has experienced heart issues in the past and views the new AED as having a life-saving device in a central downtown location.
“When you have heart issues, you’re often thinking about where the closest emergency services or AED units might be located,” said Mooney. “We have a similar AED installed at Mariners Centre now which is a great asset for public safety. Adding this AED provides an option in case of an emergency at Town Hall or in the downtown area. We’re pleased that it’s now available and hope to get the word out so people are aware and can access it if needed.”
Locating AED Units with Smartphone Apps
On the topic of locating an AED, the newly installed unit has been registered with two handy smartphone apps. The apps show the location of AED units in your immediate area. “PulsePoint AED” and “Staying Alive” are AED finders that use GPS mapping to show the exact location of installed AEDs close to you. The recently installed AED at Town Hall is registered with both apps.
For Android and IOS downloads:
PulsePoint AED
https://www.pulsepoint.org/pulsepoint-aed/
Staying Alive
https://www.stayingalive.org/
About AED Machines (from Wikipedia)
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia,[1] and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electricity which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm.
With simple audio and visual commands, AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layperson, and the use of AEDs is taught in many first aid, certified first responder, and basic life support (BLS) level cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) classes.[2]
The portable version of the defibrillator was invented in the mid-1960s by Frank Pantridge in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
