Public Automated External Defibrillator and CPR Helps To Save a Life In Comox

The Town of Comox is highlighting a great news story after a public Automated External Defibrillator and CPR helped save a life recently.

In the early morning of January 3, 2023, access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) helped save a life at the Town of Comox Community Centre.

A customer in the fitness centre observed a person in distress and a quick assessment determined they had no pulse and was not breathing.

The quick actions of an off-duty paramedic and Comox Community Centre staff saved the person’s life.

A publicly accessible AED was used, along with CPR.

Comox Fire Rescue and BC Ambulance Service arrived on the scene quickly, and the customer was taken to the hospital.

The Comox Fire Department’s AED sponsorship program was started in 2014 and Fire Chief Good Schreiner says we know that the faster CPR and AED can be used, the higher the chance the patient has of surviving the event.

He says, “In this situation, there was a great outcome for the person, and it once again proves the importance of having publicly accessible AEDs.”

The Town of Comox has over fifty publicly accessible AEDs in a variety of businesses and locations throughout the community. Many have been purchased with funds from the Comox Firefighter Association.

If applicants are accepted into the fire department’s partnership program, the Comox Firefighters Association will cover approximately half the cost of an AED for a business or group. The firefighter association approves about four new partnerships each year.