NEWS RELEASE
ACTION FIRST AID
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On Saturday, June 11, the Township of Oro-Medonte, along with Mayor Harry Hughes and several members of council, and Horseshoe Valley Property Owners Association (HPVOA) community members, came together for a morning of hands-on AED and CPR training put on by Action First Aid and funded by HVPOA.
The Public Access Outdoor SaveStation, which houses a lifesaving AED, was funded by HVPOA and installed by the Township of Oro-Medonte.
For two hours the attendees learned about:
- The realities of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)
- Difference between a heart attack and SCA
- How to perform CPR
- How to use the HeartSine Samaritan automated external defibrillator (AED)
- Live scenarios
- Neighbourhood response
In November 2021, the Township of Oro-Medonte, Horseshoe Valley Property Owners Association, and Odyssey Medical installed an outdoor SaveStation Tower with a life-saving AED at Horseshoe Valley Memorial Park, located at 3387 Line 4 N. in Oro-Medonte, in memory of former deputy-mayor Scott Jermey. The free-standing SaveStation Tower lights up at night, and is clearly marked for public use. It resides in the pavilion between the tennis and sports courts.
The SaveStation donation, spearheaded by the HVPOA, is the result of a contribution by the HVPOA, and generous donations from citizens and businesses within the Horseshoe Valley area, in collaboration with the Township of Oro-Medonte (Oro-Medonte Fire and the township’s parks division) and Odyssey Medical, marking the first placement of an outdoor AED SaveStation in the township’s municipal park system.
The Zoll Plus AED was generously donated by Odyssey Medical. Kevin Jones, executive director of event operations, national, Odyssey Medical, commented, “Odyssey Medical is proud to be a member of the Oro-Medonte community. When the opportunity to support this vital safety initiative became available, the answer was easy. We hope the local community will continue to support this initiative in building a cardiac safe community.”
The SaveStation cabinet keeps the AED warm in the winter, and cool in the summer — this technology has been in Europe for over 10 years. SaveStation is proudly bringing this life-saving equipment to North America.
Hughes commented, “The SaveStation Tower, with life-saving AED technology within the township’s municipal park system, is an extremely important step to assist with keeping the Oro-Medonte community safe. Donating the SaveStation in former deputy mayor Scott Jermey’s memory exemplifies the significant level of importance deputy mayor Jermey placed on public health and safety. Oro-Medonte council thanks all those, both past and present, who continue to work to increase the availability of AEDs throughout our community.”
The first outdoor SaveStation in North America was placed in Barrie. For the past five years, communities, schools, outdoor facilities, neighbourhoods, etc., have been actively involved with assisting to place AEDs outdoors in highly visible and recognizable SaveStation Towers, easily accessible, and close to people.
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