OHSWEKEN – Six Nations firefighters will be equipped with a professional grade Automated External Defibrillator (AED) unit this week.
Six Nations Fire Chief Matt Martin made the announcement Monday that Six Nations Firefighters have been being trained on the use of the life saving equipment and this Wednesday, following another instructional session for his firefighters, the last of his crew will be certified and the unit will be aboard one fire truck, for now. But Martin is pushing hard to fundraise with the goal of having every emergency vehicle equipped with one. Each unit is worth $5,000.
“I’m excited that this will be part of our firefighters skill set when we go out,” he says. “Early CPR and AED doubles the likelihood of survival when the heart stops.”
He believes even one unit will save many Six Nations lives.
There are already several smaller units distributed within the community at the arenas and public buildings, however, the professional model requires certified users.
“We have had this equipment for about 10 years,” says Miller. “We just needed to be certified to use it.”