The City of Saint-Lazare is once again prioritizing the health of its citizens by acquiring a new automated external defibrillator (AED) to the public at all times, located at the Parc Westwood Chalet, thanks to a generous donation from a Saint-Lazare family.

The Dawes family of Saint-Lazare, represented by Mrs. Rose Bloom, donated an automated external defibrillator (AED) and its cabinet for Parc Westwood. The Save Station AED, located outside the main building, is housed in a heated and ventilated cabinet, making the AED available 24/7.

Connected to the 9-1-1 emergency call center, the automated external defibrillator (AED) is used to resuscitate people in cardiac arrest. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada reminds us that 8 out of 10 cardiac arrests occur in a public place or at home.

The equipment was unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 20, 2022 in the presence of Rose Bloom, Deb Henning of SaveStation, François de Champlain of the Fondation Jacques-de-Champlain, the Mayor, elected municipal officials and representatives of the Public Safety and Fire Department.

Please note that an AED is also available inside each of the City's municipal buildings.

Chain of Survival

The chain of survival, which is vital when an emergency occurs, begins with witnesses calling 9-1-1, through first responders, paramedics and the arrival of the patient by ambulance at the hospital.

One of the important links in this chain is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) combined with rapid defibrillation. The use of an AED triples a victim's chance of survival if a first responder administers a shock with an AED before emergency services arrive. The chain of survival begins with the people present at the time of the incident.

The Fire Department's First Responder Division also recommends that you call 9-1-1 as soon as possible when the following signs of cardiac arrest occur

- The person collapses;

- The person is unresponsive to touch or sound;

- The person stops breathing.

The AED Quebec registry, developed in 2015 by the Fondation Jacques-de-Champlain and its collaborators, aims to list all AEDs located in public places in Quebec. Information regarding the location of the AED, how to reach the person in charge of the AED and the expiration dates of certain components such as batteries and electrodes are recorded and kept up to date in the registry. 

The AED-QUÉBEC application, created by the Foundation's team, is a complementary tool to the registry, accessible and free of charge, which allows the user to locate the nearest AED on line in addition to providing information concerning cardiopulmonary resuscitation.