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‘Disappointing’: Defibrillator taken overnight from Oyama store

Click to play video: 'Community defibrillator stolen from Lake Country store'
Community defibrillator stolen from Lake Country store
WATCH: A piece of potentially lifesaving equipment has been taken from a Lake Country, B.C. store. The defibrillator was purchased thanks to community fundraising efforts, but disappeared from its case over the weekend – Mar 15, 2021

Some Oyama residents are hoping whoever took a defibrillator from the Oyama General Store overnight will return it.

The potentially life-saving device, meant to help bystanders respond in a medical emergency, went missing from its case overnight.

“It is just disappointing. It is there for everyone’s health,” store owner Cory Holland said.

“It is just kind of a sad thing to see somebody choose vandalism on something like that.”

The $2,000 defibrillator was purchased five years ago following a community fundraising dinner.

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Alan Gatzke was part of the fundraising effort to buy the device and said if it is not returned, the community will fundraise for a replacement.

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“It would be really unfortunate if we [have] an incident that it could have been used at, before we have a chance to replace it or before it has a chance to show up again,” Gatzke said.
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The defibrillator is meant to be accessible 24/7 if someone has a medical emergency on the nearby beach, so it is not locked-up.

It went missing once previously but was dropped off on a sidewalk outside the store, roughly a week later, after a community appeal for information.

Gatzke and Holland don’t believe there is much of a resale market for the device and are hoping whoever took the defibrillator this time will once again bring it back.

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