Ottawa's first outdoor defibrillator ready for use
Katrysha Gellis stands with an outdoor automated external defibrillator at St. Luke's Park in Ottawa. Oct. 23, 2024. (Joshua Marano/CTV News Ottawa)
Ottawa now has its first ever outdoor defibrillator.
It's located at St. Luke's Park off Elgin Street in a weather-resistant, heated case so it can be used all year round.
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The automated external defibrillator (AED) can help save someone's life in the case of a sudden cardiac arrest.
The machine has step by step directions on it for those with no CPR training as well as vocal commands. Cardiac arrest survivor Katrysha Gellis says the most important step in responding to a medical situation is acting quickly.
"I actually suffered a cardiac arrest just after my 30th birthday. My heart stopped beating suddenly and I collapsed. Because I was with two colleagues at work who recognized I arrested and what to do, they were able to call 9-1-1 and get first responders on the way then they started doing chest units," she said.
"There was no defibrillator on site unfortunately, so my story could have had a different ending."
Gellis says her situation was a stroke of luck. Firefighters were around the corner and within two-minutes, had a defibrillator on site. She says not everyone has the same fortune and it's important to have AEDs accessible 24/7.
"Cardiac arrest happens; every second matters. Within four minutes, brain damage is going to start to set in and if nothing is done after 10 minutes, brain damage is irreversible," Gellis said.
The automated external defibrillator at St. Luke's Park in Ottawa has step by step directions on it for those with no CPR training as well as vocal commands. (Joshua Marano/CTV News Ottaswa)
Pam Husband, a representative with the Canadian Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation (SADS), donated the AED to the city. She lost her son in 1990 to a sudden cardiac arrest.
"We're committed to the chain of survival for people who might be suffering from cardiac conditions. Often these conditions are not actually revealed until a catastrophic event happens," said Husband.
"Unless the family is familiar with the fact that these conditions are in their family, you could, in fact, be predisposed to a sudden cardiac death without even knowing it."
There is hope to see more outdoor AEDs throughout Ottawa, but no plan is in place yet.
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