Local business adds defibrillator

Above: Home Hardware / Bumper-to-Bumper employees Kelly Parrent and Karen Cust pose next to the store’s recently-purchased Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) .

by Stephen Dafoe

It’s not uncommon to see a variety of new tools at Home Hardware / Bumper-to-Bumper. It’s what one expects from their local hardware store/auto parts dealer. But a recent addition to the shop isn’t for fixing bathroom taps or car engines – it’s for fixing people engines.

The store recently purchased an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and mounted it on the wall between the two stores. Defibrillation is an important piece of equipment to assist with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The AED will be registered with St. John Ambulance and its location accessible through an app.

Last fall, St. John Ambulance partnered with a French organization called AEDMAP to create the Save A Life app, a program which allows the public or emergency personnel to find an AED near to them. Organizations and businesses with AEDs can register their location for inclusion on the app. The app also allows those with CPR training to register as responders. In the event of a medical emergency, they can be notified by SMS.

“We always try to be safety conscious here, but we also try to be good stewards in the community,” said Bumper-to-Bumper employee Karen Cust said of the decision to purchase the AED equipment. “Prior to our last round of training, we had four people that were certified [to use the AED]. Now we have another six – ten people that can use it.”

Cust went on to say the store has ongoing safety training and ongoing safety programs for their staff.

The St. John Ambulance Save A Life app is available for IOS and Android devices.

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6 Comments

  1. Not news, life saving information!
    Maybe all businesses will consider this concept!

  2. And yet they don’t. Thus far – this is the only business in town that has made us aware they have an AED. The article is also about the St. John Ambulance app, which we were sure many of our readers (of all ages) may or may not have been aware of. Now they are if they read past the headline.

  3. Article refers to the training that staff received to use the device. I thought no training was required to use, as the device talks you through the process?

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