Evidence of meeting #128 for Public Safety and National Security in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was training.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
My last question is on the current experience. Given the existing requirement at some locations or the role that some units play, a number of divisions already have these devices in their vehicles.
Can you say a few words about the current experience and whether it might be beneficial in rolling out a national plan?
Supt Jamie Solesme
Currently, in the province of British Columbia, there are devices installed in vehicles where the population is less than 5,000 and I believe in the supervisors' vehicles when the population is greater than 15,000.
I have not heard any complaints or issues. We do not have a central reporting system, meaning that when somebody utilizes an AED they don't write down and send me a note to say, “I've utilized it. It worked. It didn't work.” We don't have that type of information about the effectiveness. I'm not sure that's something that is actually available to provide, but I've not heard any issues per se in the use of them where they do exist.
NDP
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
That's for British Columbia and the other provinces—Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta, and nationally. It's a small number of vehicles.
Supt Jamie Solesme
I met with a group earlier, in August, and we spoke about AEDs. There were no issues reported.
Liberal
Liberal
Sven Spengemann Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Thank you very much.
Thank you for joining us today, and thank you for your service and your expertise.
I'd like to take you back to the north and policing and first responders in the north. Does the RCMP operate helicopters?
Liberal
Liberal
Sven Spengemann Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Okay, but it's a prominent tool to achieve presence in the north and coverage of response areas.
Liberal
Sven Spengemann Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Do all of the helicopters have these devices installed on them?
Liberal
Sven Spengemann Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Would you be able to provide the committee with that information?
Liberal
Sven Spengemann Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Secondly—and I put this question to the earlier panel—how critical is it to achieve complementarity by considering the installation of these in police vehicles, but also making sure that we have them in hockey rinks, community centres and senior centres? Especially in the north, where there is a concentration of population, there should be at least one or two of these devices. Is that essential, in your view, to achieving adequate response coverage?
Supt Jamie Solesme
The more places they are.... If I look at the response and the location of the people where we are going to calls.... If they're not in the hospital when these incidents are happening, they're either in a public place or a private residence or perhaps in a remote location. For example, maybe somebody has a cardiac arrest while hunting. If you're looking at those types of situations.... Even when we're looking at the north, yes, it's vast but there are knit communities, core communities in those areas. I think it would be very beneficial for the community access piece.
We're law enforcement. We provide that first response, but I think it's a community effort when it comes to the protection of citizens. We say that in law enforcement, for break and enters: everybody's the eyes and ears, call us. It's the same. It's everybody's responsibility to provide that safety and to take any steps necessary to protect the well-being of the people around them in their communities.
Liberal
Sven Spengemann Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
In your experience, are some of these communities already taking those steps? Do you find some already installed in the community halls and the hockey rinks, or are we still way behind in the communities you're familiar with, in terms of community-based installations of AEDs?
Liberal
Sven Spengemann Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Okay, so that's the right direction.
In your view, is the device one where a 911 call or an appropriate emergency dispatcher could walk somebody through the use of the instrument via a phone? In other words, if somebody has access to the device and doesn't know how to use it and calls the appropriate first response number, can they be instructed on site on how to use the machine? Is it simple enough to do that?
Supt Jamie Solesme
On an AED it's very simple, yes.
The RCMP and the dispatchers are trained to provide guidance and are very good at articulating the role they should be taking.
Liberal
Sven Spengemann Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
I think that's an important thought for the committee, that the expertise can be provided remotely by phone or even, in theory, by text or in some other way.
How critical are these devices in the battle against opioids? I'm not a medical expert but presumably they will work no matter what induces the cardiac arrest. Is there an intersection between opioids and the use of this mechanism? What other things have to come into play?
