In response to the CBC article on October 3rd, 2017 regarding the untimely death of Michael Fowlie while cycling long Purcells Cove Road in Halifax. There is an urgent need not only for a provincial but national AED registry which can capture public and privately owned AED which in conjunction with CPR can and does save lives.
Three years ago, St. John Ambulance made AED training a mandatory part of all first aid and CPR courses and in 2016 the Alberta Council of St. John Ambulance invested into an AED mobile App and free AED database for Canadians to voluntarily register their AEDs.
Approximately 40,000 deaths occur annually in Canada affecting people of every age, however, with early access to defibrillation in conjunction with CPR the chance of survivability increases significantly.
As a non-profit organization who is dedicated to public service, our goal is to provide Canadians with the largest AED database in Canada through our free Save a Life app. This App enables users to search the geo-location of AED devices in their area during cardiac emergencies. St. John Ambulance is actively working with health regions, provincial governments and community partners in promoting, registering and enabling public access to the thousands of AED within Canada. We welcome the opportunity to work with individuals, community groups and industry to provide access through our international database as well.
St. John Ambulance is committed to improving the quality of life for Canadian and bringing life saving technology to our communities across the country. We are excited to bring this important, progressive technology to the Canadian public and further our mission to help Save a Life.