**********************************************************
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) rolled out a programme to install automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at its land-based leisure and sports venues earlier this month, a spokesman for the LCSD said today (April 16).
The programme is part of the department's continuous efforts in enhancing its venue facilities and providing quality services for members of the public. The AEDs are being installed at 254 major land-based venues in phases to assist persons in need of heart resuscitation. When applying heart resuscitation to the persons in need, immediate use of AEDs at the same time will increase their chances of survival.
Under the programme, the first batch of AEDs has been installed at 80 land-based venues, and installation at the remaining venues will be completed by the end of June. The programme costs about $3 million.
The LCSD has already installed AEDs at all of its aquatic venues since 2011 and the result is satisfactory. By the end of March this year, AEDs have been used 34 times in the aquatic venues, where electric shock was delivered seven times. The department has therefore decided to expand the programme to land-based venues with active facilities and high usage, including major parks, playgrounds, sports grounds, sports centres, tennis courts and soccer pitches.
"Land-based venues have high patronage rates and users of the active facilities usually engage in a greater degree of exercise. The availability of AEDs at these venues can enable persons in need to receive appropriate first-aid treatment in a timely manner," the spokesman said.
He added that AEDs are installed in easily accessible and noticeable places such as the covered areas outside venue offices or the public areas outside washrooms, so that holders of AED operation certificates, including venue staff and the public, can quickly access the devices and offer assistance to the persons in need instantly.
"The LCSD has provided training courses on the operation of AEDs and heart resuscitation to most of the venue staff concerned," the spokesman said.
"To keep up with the installation schedule of the AEDs, we will continue to organise training courses and encourage more colleagues of different ranks to learn the skills," he added.
For cultural venues, it is planned that 56 major cultural venues such as public libraries, civic centres, performance venues and museums will be equipped with AEDs in the middle of the year.
"The LCSD will review the arrangement of installing AEDs at land-based venues in due course before considering whether to expand the scheme to more venues," the spokesman said.
Ends/Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:01
NNNN
