Defibrillators are in place at several municipal buildings thanks to a donation by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The defibrillators were given to the municipality as part of the Public Access Defibrillator program. One is at municipal hall, one is at the Summerland Aquatic Centre and one is at the golf course. More are expected later.
Tom Ratcliffe, unit chief of the B.C. Ambulance Service in Summerland, said it is important to have readily available defibrillators in place.
A defibrillator is used to deliver a shock which can restart a patient’s heart following a cardiac arrest.
Ratcliffe said it is important to act quickly after a cardiac arrest. From the time of the incident, it takes four to five minutes before irreversible brain damage occurs.
“This definitely ups the odds,” he said.
The training process for the devices is simple. In an emergency, the device provides verbal instructions to the person using the defibrillator.