Perth County Paramedics recently received a donation of three new Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).
According to a media release, Perth County Paramedic Services received the generous donation from Kickstart My Heart earlier this year.
The new AEDs will be part of the county's Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) program, which makes AEDs accessible in numerous public locations across Perth County.
Kickstart My Heart is a charitable organization formed in 2024 by the Otto Family to raise money for public defibrillators. The idea was sparked after an AED was used to save the then 18-year old Cole Otto’s life during a cardiac event at the Mitchell Baseball Diamonds in 2023.
Future modernizations of the PAD program are coming, including a live map of where all the AEDs can be located within Perth County.
"After the incident with Cole, we felt compelled to take action to ensure more people can benefit from access to life-saving AEDs," said the Otto family. "It was important to us to make a positive impact out of a frightening experience that could have ended much differently had an AED not been available."
"We are grateful for this generous donation into our Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) program," said Mike Adair, Chief of Paramedic Services. "It is our goal through the PAD program to make these life-saving devices readily available across the region."
More information can be found here: www.perthcounty.ca/en/living-here/public-access-defibrillator.aspx