BRACEBRIDGE, ON- Kelvin Grove Park has gotten a new piece of equipment.
This morning, the Town of Bracebridge and Action First Aid celebrated the official ribbon-cutting for the park’s new SaveStation, which will serve as an outdoor access point for an automated external defibrillator (AED). The installation was also sponsored by the Moose 99.5 FM.
The device is provided by Action First Aid and is used to treat someone in cardiac arrest. They are usually installed in schools, arenas and municipal buildings, but not usually in open areas. Many times, cardiac arrests happen after hours or on weekends, meaning that those AEDs stored inside throughout the community are not available.
The organization is aiming to provide better access to AEDs, both inside and outside, given that cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time.
The stations are heated, ventilated, and feature constant monitoring to make sure the equipment is working properly. If it is opened and the AED is removed, an audio and visual alarm will sound. A photo is taken of the person who removed the AED, and a notice is sent to a list of responders.
Deb Hennig, the president of SaveStation, described the installation as an exciting moment. As for future plans for more installations, she said the company was “starting conversations”.
“It’s a brand new product in Canada, so I think now that this going to be placed, I think this is going to bring a lot of awareness to this product,” said Hennig.
“We absolutely would love to engage with any community member who is looking to place a SaveStation, whether it is indoors or out, there is a whole line of indoor products as well. So we’re definitely excited to have conversations with anybody in the community who is interested in protecting an area.”
Anyone looking for more information on the company can go to SaveStation.ca.