WINNIPEG — After an individual suffered a heart attack at a Manitoba amusement park, experts are reminding anyone who owns an automated external defibrillator to keep an eye on it.
This week, an individual suffered a heart attack at Tinkertown in the RM of Springfield.
The amusement park had an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), which can be used to send a shock to someone’s heart to try and restore it to normal rhythm in the event of a heart attack.
However, staff at Tinkertown told Global News it malfunctioned and they have since replaced the faulty AED.
Following this incident, experts in the fire and safety field are warning people to treat their AED’s like they treat their smoke detectors.
Al Stiles works at ABC Fire and Safety where he said on average he sells one AED a week and he expects those numbers to grow.
“The AED will for the most part tell you when the batteries are low,” Al Stiles with ABC Fire and Safety said.
He said the other thing to keep an eye on is the set of pads that you place on an individuals chest when using the AED.
AED’s are often found in malls, arenas and public places where lots of people gather in the event someone is experiencing a cardiac arrest.
While they aren’t mandatory in all places, they still carry with them the ability to help save someone’s life while they’re waiting for a professional to get to the scene.
But, Stiles said when it comes to making sure the battery is not dying and the pads are not expired, that’s your job.
He warns that it’s better to keep an eye on the safety tools and check them at least once a year instead of paying a deadly price when you need it most.
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