Enderby gets safer with addition of more automatic external defibrillators

Enderby just became a safer place to have a heart attack.

The city has partnered with the Enderby & District Services Commission, Enderby & District Recreation Services, and Enderby Funtastic to invest in automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) at seven locations.

The AEDs are located at: the public pool, Enderby arena, drill hall, Riverside Park ball diamonds, the Enderby Visitor Centre, City Hall, and Riverside RV Park and Campground.

An AED can be critical in saving a life in the moments after a person experiences sudden cardiac arrest.

The devices give an electrical shock to the heart of someone who in cardiac arrest to help the heart re-establish a normal rhythm.

The devices are easy to use with little to no training or experience.

Use of an AED, combined with CPR and calling 911 can drastically increase chances of survival, the city says.

“I am pleased to see our community step forward and partner to enhance the safety of our residents and visitors by making this lifesaving technology available more broadly,” Mayor Huck Galbraith said in a press release.

“The Enderby & District Services Commission is pleased to see new or additional AEDs at many of our athletic facilities. These are among the locations where they have the greatest chance of saving lives,” said commission chair Allysa Hopkins.

The AEDs detect heart rhythms and administer shocks with escalating intensity, all while providing audible instruction so that a person with minimal or no training can assist a person in a medical emergency.

“This is an investment in the lives of our players and their families. The ability to access this lifesaving technology at the ball diamonds will save lives,” said Enderby Funtastic vice-president Dave Lancaster.