16°c Partly cloudy
4°c Cloudy with showers
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Province to require defibrillators in public places
COLIN CORNEAU / BRANDON SUN Enlarge Image
A portable defibrillator unit sits in a hallway at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School.
WINNIPEG - A proposed new Manitoba law would require that defibrillators be installed and maintained in high-traffic public places such as schools, airports and recreation centres.
Health Minister Theresa Oswald said Wednesday that Manitoba is the first government to introduce such a bill.
Related Items
"Cardiac arrest can strike quickly and without warning, but access to a defibrillator can dramatically increase the odds of survival," she said.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, defibrillation used with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can improve cardiac-arrest survival rates by 75 per cent over CPR alone.
Debbie Brown, president and CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, said she would like to see defibrillators as commonplace as fire extinguishers. She called Bill 20 "a great step forward."
An automated external defibrillator contains sophisticated electronics that can identify cardiac rhythms. The equipment will deliver a shock if the heart is in a rhythm that can be corrected by defibrillation.
As well as requiring defibrillators to be installed in public places, the new law would also ensure that there be signage identifying their location.
The devices would also be centrally registered, so that 911 dispatchers could identify the nearest defibrillator in assisting a cardiac-arrest victim.
The province will work with medical experts and community members to identify places where the devices should be located. After this review, the installation of defibrillators would be phased in to allow building owners to incorporate them into their budgets, Oswald said.
Schools and rec centres would be able to get provincial funding for defibrillators through existing capital and grant funding programs.
The devices are now standard equipment in all provincial ambulances. But having them in high-traffic places would mean the life-saving machines could be used before paramedics arrive.
History
Updated on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 3:17 PM CDT: Adds photo, new details.
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
Poll
Proudly brought to you by:
Most Popular Latest News
- Cyclist killed in Higgins Avenue crash
- He was enjoying view, bear came out of blue
- New EI rules takes aim at frequent users, force workers to accept lower pay
- Bear pulls camper from outhouse, before being shot
- Man dies in workplace accident near Carberry
- Tempers flare on CP picket line on McPhillips Street
- Police release image of suspect in March sexual assault
- Brad Pitt's sophisticated bachelor party
- Swallowed gem poses problem for store owners
- Man handed one-year sentence after fatal hit-and-run
- Cyclist killed in Higgins Avenue crash
- 'I don't hear voices' Vince Li says
- Feds sink key science program
- Hundreds gathered to watch eclipse
- Actor and comedian Paul O'Sullivan, 48, dies in car crash near Peterborough
- Winnipeg man recovering after campground bear attack
- Tempers flare on CP picket line on McPhillips Street
- Photo radar ticket case dropped
- Man dies in workplace accident near Carberry
- He was enjoying view, bear came out of blue
- Cyclist killed in Higgins Avenue crash
- 'I don't hear voices' Vince Li says
- Police link homicide, highway death
- Tragedy 'totally unexpected': lawyer
- Nightclub told to restore historic marble floor
- Ecstasy and tragedy
- Canalta withdraws downtown water park proposal
- Woman on anniversary hang glider ride plunges to her death in B.C.
- Man dies after fall from downtown apartment building
- Cancer drug may be linked to second cancers, Health Canada warns
- He was enjoying view, bear came out of blue
- Winnipeg man recovering after campground bear attack
- New EI rules takes aim at frequent users, force workers to accept lower pay
- Comfort foods may be too depressing
- Free slurpees at 7-Eleven today
- Bear pulls camper from outhouse, before being shot
- Hewlett-Packard to jettison 27,000 workers in largest payroll purge in company's history
- Cattle farmer fined $25K for severe case of neglect
- Cyclist killed in Higgins Avenue crash
- Driver spared jail for killing pedestrian
- Winnipeg man recovering after campground bear attack
- Feds sink key science program
- Dog the Bounty Hunter to wag tongue in Winnipeg
- Free slurpees at 7-Eleven today
- He was enjoying view, bear came out of blue
- Scientists lash Harper government for pulling plug on Experimental Lakes Area
- Photo radar ticket case dropped
- 'I don't hear voices' Vince Li says
- Cyclist killed in Higgins Avenue crash
- Tories launch talks on official languages, shield programs from cuts
- Dog the Bounty Hunter to wag tongue in Winnipeg
- Winnipeg man recovering after campground bear attack
- Feds sink key science program
- Osborne Village voted Canada's best neighbourhood
- Would you sell your home to lock in profits before real estate prices drop?
- Police link homicide, highway death
- Reid gets cosy with audience
- New Hydro program to help retrofit homes
- Free slurpees at 7-Eleven today
- PUB aims to kill 'hidden property tax' in water, sewer rates
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.