Going out for a day of fun activity at one of Weyburn's recreation facilities just got safer, as the City of Weyburn now has an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to assist in cases of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).

Weyburn installed its first public access defibrillator in the Weyburn Colosseum/Tom Zandee Sports Arena on Jan. 11, and Deputy Fire Chief Morley Forsgren took the responsibility of training city employees who work in that facility on how to use the device.

"Our goal is to protect the lives of our citizens," said Forsgren. "Having the AED on site, we increase access to early defibrillation and help us save lives. AEDs are safe and easy to use and can be used effectively by trained medical and non-medical individuals."

The Automated External Defibrillator unit was donated to the City of Weyburn by Prairie Agencies, in conjunction with the Western Communities Foundation. It is a foundation that is funded by Prairie Agencies and approximately 60 other Western Canadian insurance brokers associated with the Western Financial Group of Companies.

One AED unit costs $5,000, and there are three or four communities that are receiving these units as donations annually, that have a Western Financial Group Representative such as Prairie Agencies.

Ray Erickson, the Managing Partner of Prairie Agencies, was happy to donate this new AED unit to the City of Weyburn. "I trust that if called upon for its use it might increase someone's chances of surviving what could have been a fatal heart failure."

Unlike models of defibrillators intended for use by health care professionals, AEDs do not require extensive medical knowledge to understand or operate. They are a computerized medical device that is portable and lightweight.

The AED will automatically detect lethal heart rhythms, then instruct its user to administer an electric shock if the heart rhythm indicates that a shock is necessary to restart the heart. Defibrillation is only one way to treat a heart attack, and survival rates for SCA are less than two per cent when defibrillation is delayed ten minutes or more.

One of the biggest positive traits of the AED is that it is compatible with the defibrillators used by the Sun Country Health Region, so that when the EMS show up at the scene where an AED is being used, they can transfer over the pads to their own machines.

"We had to make sure that the device was compatible in our health region before getting approval to bring it to the city," commented Forsgren.

Trained responders have effectively used AEDs in many public settings, and the four training courses cover both AEDs and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), all that is necessary to learn how to use the device.

"The training course is simplified and standardized in video format," commented Forsgren, "so students find it a lot more beneficial as it provides a lot more hand-on experience."

Andy Dobson, Facilities Manger for the City of Weyburn, states that the AED is "another tool that provides the public a safe, fun time at public events."

Dobson, who took the four-hour training to use the AED himself on Jan. 9, found the course to be "one of the best courses I have ever taken, with the most hands-on instruction."

Currently all of the staff in Weyburn facilities, such as the Colosseum, Sports Arena and Leisure Centre, are trained in CPR. Dobson commented that "we are staying innovative to keep in the changes to First Aid and CPR, and will be training our staff to use the AED."

Since the plan is to install the AED unit in the corridor that connects the Colosseum and the Sports Arena, Dobson commented that "all the full-time staff in these facilities will be trained to use the AED." Training will be offered throughout the year for full-time staff at the Leisure Centre, and part-time staff for both facilities.

The city employees will have to go through training every year, and Forsgren and the Weyburn Fire Department volunteered their time for the classes to ensure that this training is kept up to standards.

As currently the City of Weyburn only has one Automated External Defibrillator, the plan is that the AED will remain in the Colosseum/Sports Arena during the winter months and in the spring be moved to the Weyburn Leisure Centre for the summer months.

"The AED has been proven to save lives, and it is the way of the future as we are just seeing the edge of it," commented Dobson. "I hope that the City of Weyburn can secure a second unit, so that there is one 12 months of the year in both the Colosseum/Sports Arena facility and the Leisure Centre facility."

Forsgren commented that "it would be nice to have a second AED unit for the Weyburn facilities, as the Colosseum is becoming a facility that is used year-round with the trade shows and the Weyburn Fair, and the Leisure Centre does keep a busy schedule year-round."

AED training is becoming more and more popular, and taking a CPR course from the Heart and Stroke Foundation can certify any person in using the AED.

Both the province of Alberta and Manitoba have use of the AED deregulated, so any person holding a certification card can use the AED in a public setting. The Province of Saskatchewan is also currently looking at deregulation in legislation, to allow anyone who is trained with the AED the ability to use it even if they are not a city worker in the facility.