Community initiative brings four new outdoor AEDs to Lucan

Ribbon cutting ceremonies were held at each of the four locations that outdoor AEDs were installed in Lucan. The AED at the Lucan Soccer Complex was donated by the Lucan Soccer Club and Jan and Daniel Regan. From left are Coun. Daniel Regan, Lucan Biddulph Mayor Cathy Burghardt-Jesson, Lucan Soccer Club president Dave Allen, Lucan Soccer Club vice-president Morgann Jones and Lucan Soccer Club treasurer Colin Whitehead

By Dan Rolph

After a local family’s first-hand experience with cardiac arrest, the community has rallied together to install four new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in outdoor community spaces in Lucan.

The AEDs, which are housed in outdoor weatherproof cabinets called SaveStations, have been installed at the Lucan Biddulph Community Memorial Centre, the Lucan Soccer Complex, Elm Street Park and Market Street Park.

During an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, April 22, where the community highlighted the locations to spread awareness, Lucan-Biddulph community services and facilities director Darcey Cook emphasized the importance of ensuring an AED is accessible.

“Sudden cardiac arrest can happen anywhere at any time,” said Cook. “Having an automated external defibrillator readily available, especially in outdoor, high-use community spaces, can make the difference between life and death.

“These stations help remove barriers and ensure help is never far away.”

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 60,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital every year in Canada. When cardiac arrest is experienced outside of a hospital, only one in 10 individuals survive.

However, survival rates can double with the use of an AED and CPR.

In Lucan, those chances have been improved thanks to the efforts of the Merner family.

Tina Merner said the outpouring of support from the community was remarkable after the family’s own experience with sudden cardiac arrest.

“We’ve been in Lucan for 16 years, and this community always, in my opinion, rallies around everyone and is very supportive,” she said.

Following the family’s experience, the Lucan men’s hockey recreation league and the Lucan Businessmen’s Golf Association mobilized to install an AED in the arena, just outside of the ice surface.

Seeing that outpouring of support, the family wanted to give back to the community that was there in their time of need, and Merner began reaching out to local groups and organizations that she thought may want to get involved in bringing another AED to the community.

She said it didn’t take much convincing to get others on board, and the family’s mission of getting one or two defibrillators installed quickly expanded to the four that have been installed in many of Lucan’s outdoor spaces.

The devices were purchased thanks to the support of the Lucan Ilderton Baseball Association, Jan and Daniel Regan, the Lucan Soccer Club, the Optimist Club of Lucan and the Lucan Biddulph Fire Department.

“They’re not a huge financial investment and can make such a difference in any situation when it’s needed,” said Merner.

While speaking during the ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Cathy Burghardt-Jesson said the installation of the AEDs represents an important step forward for the community, ensuring that help is within reach when it is needed.

However, she noted that the efforts of the community represent much more than the devices themselves.

“It’s about people,” said Burghardt-Jesson. “It’s about neighbours looking out for one another, and it’s about a community that steps up when it matters most.

“This initiative reflects the very best of Lucan-Biddulph. A caring, responsive and connected community.”

Action First Aid senior account manager Christine Drury commended the community’s ability to work together to install the devices while noting the lifechanging impact they bring to the area.

“These placements will make a difference in your community,” she said. “They will continue to make an impact, and they will save lives.”

While four AEDs were unveiled, Burghardt-Jesson emphasized that there are other locations throughout the community that could benefit from having an AED nearby. She urged anyone interested in supporting future installations to get in touch.

“We want to talk to you,” she said.