One City Employee Saves a Second Hockey Player from SCA
ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that the Public Access Defibrillator program conducted by the Ottawa Paramedic Service (OPS) has saved 74 lives from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) thanks to training individuals in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using the ZOLL AED PLUS®.
Since the Ottawa Public Access Defibrillator program began in 2001, OPS has installed over 540 AED Plus units in public places, community centers, and skating arenas throughout the capital city. It has also held 780 classes and trained over 82,000 individuals in the Chain of Survival. As a result, Ottawa has the highest survival rate among Canadian cities.
According to OPS Chief Anthony DiMonte, the City of Ottawa Paramedic Service manages one of the largest public access defibrillator programs in Canada. The OPS CPR/AED training is open to all residents of the city and is geared toward anyone who is willing to learn this life-saving skill.
In further explaining the program’s success, DiMonte cited the heroic efforts of a city employee who saved a second hockey player from SCA last month at the Earl Armstrong Arena where he worked. In a remarkable coincidence, this second event happened while this facilities operator was waiting to talk to the hockey player whose life he helped save four years earlier on the same rink.
SOURCE: ZOLL Medical