Our Health Canada Medical Device Establishment License ensures that
your purchase is legimate and protected in the case of defect and recall

aed 4 life Canadaambulance

business people working

AED in the News

Restart-a-Heart, Restart-a-Life - AEDs save lives in Regina

December 18, 2008, Regina, Saskatchewan

REGINA – December 18, 2008 –  Evraz, in partnership with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region (RQHR), Heart & Stroke Foundation, and the Regina Police Service, held a media conference today to recognize the growing importance of Public Access Defibrillators (PAD) in our community. 

Two examples were shared with the media to highlight how PAD has saved lives. In the first instance, three Evraz Regina Steel employees saved the life of a co-worker who had suffered cardiac arrest by using one of the company's automated external defibrillators (AEDs). In the second instance, the Regina Police Service, using one of the AEDs donated by Evraz, saved the life of an individual in southeast Regina.

The Evraz incident took place on June 24, 2008 when the victim, Ray Lesperance, collapsed in the steel company's parking lot. Fortunately, his co-workers Cameron Brown, Mike Kish and Ned Donaldson, recognized the signs of a cardiac arrest, called 911, and retrieved one of the plant's five AEDs. Cameron, Mike and Ned successfully revived Ray using two AED shocks before EMS personnel arrived on the scene. Ray recently returned to work and is thankful to his co-workers, EMS and his company for their support of the PAD Program. 

In the other example, Regina Police Service officers were first to arrive at an emergency call in southeast Regina on June 19, 2007. When Sgt. Paul Tate and Constable Mark Verbeek arrived on location, they discovered an individual, Robert Metcalfe, suffering from cardiac arrest. They took the AED available in the police vehicle and applied it to Mr. Metcalfe until his heart rate returned.

AEDs are a key component of saving lives following a cardiac arrest. Healthcare professionals and trained individuals can safely use AEDs to improve an individual’s survival rate. However, defibrillation must be administered within minutes of a cardiac arrest in order to be effective. The PAD Program works with businesses to place an AED in every location where EMS cannot respond within five minutes, including rural and remote areas, as well as city locations where access can be a problem due to traffic or a building’s size or design.

Evraz Inc. NA is one of Regina's key corporate sponsors of the PAD Program. The steel company has five AEDs at its own plant, and two years ago donated $40-thousand to the Regina Police Service to support the establishment of the Police Service AED program with eight AEDs As part of its ongoing commitment to workplace safety, Evraz also provides its employees with training on proper AED and first aid procedures.

"Our company is committed to best practices in workplace safety, and we are very proud that this commitment has already proven to be life-saving for one of our employees," Greg Maindonald, Vice-President and General Manager of Evraz Regina Steel told the media conference. 

"We are also pleased to know that our contribution of eight AEDs to the Regina Police Service has already resulted in saving a life. This shows the importance of ultimately making AEDs as commonplace as fire extinguishers in buildings and facilities throughout Canada." 

“The first priority of policing is to preserve life”, says Deputy Chief Bob Morin of the Regina Police Service, “Everyone who gets into this business has that goal in mind so it makes good sense to have AEDs and the training available to our members. We will never be in a position to replace EMS efforts; however, in the course of our normal police duties if we encounter situations of cardiac arrest, we will do what we can. AEDs can make the difference in those critical, first few moments before medical help arrives. We’re grateful for the donation from Evraz Inc NA and their partnership in the PAD Program.” 

"AEDs are one of a number of vital components in our health system that can save lives,” says Ken Luciak, Director of Emergency Medical Services for the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region.

Contributions from businesses like Evraz, and the willingness from other emergency service agencies like the Regina Police Service, are what help strengthen that system. The strong community support demonstrated here today, combined with the delivery of a high quality EMS system in the region, is why we have one of the highest sudden cardiac arrest survival rates in the country.” 

“The situations experienced by the Regina Police Service and at Evraz demonstrate the important role AEDs play in saving lives,” says TJ Biemans, Health Promotion Manager, Resuscitation of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan. “Close to 40,000 Canadians experience a cardiac arrest every year, and fewer than five per cent of those who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive. We hope that more businesses in Regina and Saskatchewan will purchase an AED for their workplaces because the sooner we can restart a heart, the better the chance we have to restart a life.”