The earlier an AED is applied and defibrillation occurs the greater the chance of a successful outcome. Statistics show use of an AED can increase the odds of survival by up to 75%*. In November 2016, St. John Ambulance, Alberta Council released; Save A Life, an AED locator application for Apple and Android devices to assist the public in accessing their closest registered AED.
To raise awareness of this important tool and the importance of AED’s during CPR month St. John Ambulance in partnership with Zoll and Philips held the #savealifeselfie contest. Entrants from across Canada were encouraged to submit selfies with AED’s to be entered into a random draw.
Of the multitude of entries from across Canada the two winners are; Kay Riddell-Poole from Grande Prairie, Alberta and Farrah Humphrey from Brampton, Ontario, Farrah has indicated she will be donating it to a school in her area.
For the contest Ms. Riddell-Poole took seven selfies with AED’s from in and around Grande Prairie and in doing so proved how AED’s can often be hidden in plain sight. With the launch of the Save a Life app finding registered AED’s can be done on mobile devices within seconds and registering within a few minutes.
