South Surrey’s Crescent Beach waterfront now home to three AEDs

Two more publicly accessible AED (automated external defibrillator) stands have been installed in South Surrey’s Crescent Beach neighbourhood, as part of St. John Ambulance’s plan to boost bystanders’ ability to help during a sudden cardiac arrest.

According to a news release issued Tuesday (Dec. 14), the stands were installed through SJA’s Start Me Up BC program, which aims to place 1,000 stands in high-traffic areas such as parks, beaches and transit hubs across the province.

Each also includes a naloxone kit and first aid kit.

Crescent Beach’s first such stand was installed on Beecher Street early this year; the newest pair were placed this month – one at Blackie Spit and the other at the lifeguard station.

READ MORE: St. John Ambulance aims to install 1,000 publicly accessible AEDs across B.C.

“Given how quickly a sudden cardiac arrest can turn fatal, it’s recommended for an AED to be no further than three to five minutes away in public spaces,” the release notes.

“During a sudden cardiac arrest, a medical emergency that effects up to 6,000 British Columbians each year, every day bystanders must be the ones to step up and respond with CPR and AED use before officials arrive to give the casualty a chance of survival. After only 10 minutes, brain damage begins to set in,” Ken Leggatt, chief operating officer for St. John Ambulance BC & Yukon said.

“We’re so thrilled to give the Crescent Beach and surrounding community the tools, including naloxone and first aid supplies, to be able to step in and save more lives.”

Installation of the three stands was possible with support from the Crescent Beach Property Owners Association.

“The Crescent Beach and Blackie Spit area is extremely popular with both residents and visitors – if a sudden cardiac arrest, possible overdose, or other first aid emergency occurred, we want to be a part of the solution and give people every opportunity possible to help each other and make the community a safer place to be,” explained association president Jim Carter.

“We hope these three stands will never have to be used, but we’re happy they are there if ever needed.”

The release notes that all three AED stands are temperature-controlled, weather-resistant and available 24/7. To protect them from theft, an alarm is set for whenever the cabinet is opened, a camera takes a photo of the person accessing it and a St. John Ambulance staff member is alerted by phone call.