THUNDER BAY -- Paramedics are crediting Canada Games Complex lifeguards' use of a defibrillator for saving a man's life on the squash court.
Emergency crews were called to the complex shortly after 9 a.m. on Tuesday to find two lifeguards and a supervisor performing CPR on a 64-year-old man with a public access defibrillator.
Paramedics found the man had a pulse and was shallowly breathing by the end of the two-minute CPR cycle.
Superior North EMS deputy chief of professional standards Andrew Dillon credited staff with taking less than three minutes to begin the CPR process after the 911 call was made. He said it made the difference in saving the man's life.
"CPR is such an important factor in providing the public with a viable opportunity to survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest," Dillon said.
Dillon cited the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada in saying early CPR and early defibrillation are the two biggest factors in surviving cardiac arrest. He encouraged all members of the public to take CPR training.
"(CPR) is such an important factor in that out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, whether it be a family member, a neighbour or somebody you don't know," Dillon said.
"It's simple, it's quick to learn and it makes a huge difference."
