April 16, 2013

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department has rolled out a $3 million programme to install automated external defibrillators at sports and leisure venues.
 
So far 80 defibrillators have been installed at major land-based venues, and installation at another 254 venues will be completed by the end of June.
 
The department has had defibrillators at all of its aquatic venues since 2011. As at the end of March, defibrillators have been used 34 times, including seven cases in which the devices detected the need for and delivered an electric shock.
 
The programme is now being expanded to include land-based venues with high patronage, such as major parks, playgrounds, sports grounds, sports centres, tennis courts and soccer pitches, and there are also plans to include 56 major cultural venues, such as public libraries, civic centres, performance venues and museums in the middle of the year.
 
The devices are installed in covered areas outside venue offices or in public areas outside washrooms for ease of access, and the department has provided training courses to venue staff. 
 
Defibrillators provide immediate first-aid treatment, increasing the chance of surviving cardiac arrest.