HeartSafe EMS Inc.

**“Don't worry—you don't need training to use an AED.”**

We've all heard some version of that message.

And technically, it's true.

AEDs are designed so that an untrained person can turn one on, listen to the instructions and potentially save a life.

That's an incredible safety feature.

But it doesn't mean training doesn't matter.

Imagine finding a coworker, family member or customer suddenly collapsed.

Before that AED ever delivers a shock, someone has to recognize what's happening, call 911, start CPR, find the AED, open the person's clothing, place the pads correctly and keep going while everyone around them is under stress.

That's where confidence matters.

Recent research continues to associate CPR/AED training with greater willingness to help, greater AED use and improved community response. Research also tells us that CPR skills fade—which is why short, regular refreshers matter.

Buying an AED is important.

But simply hanging one on the wall isn't a complete cardiac emergency program.

**The AED needs to be ready.
And so do the people around it.**

Practice today.
Confidence tomorrow.
Action when it matters.

**The AED Is Only One Part of Cardiac Readiness**

An AED should not be treated like a simple product purchase.

It should be treated as part of a life-safety system.

We do not install smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting, or evacuation plans simply because they are the cheapest option.

We expect them to be visible, accessible, maintained, understood, and ready when needed.

An AED should be viewed the same way.

The device matters.

But so does the system around it:

Site risk assessment.
AED placement planning.
Clear signage and visibility.
Inspection and expiry tracking.
CPR and First Aid training.
Employee confidence.
Responder awareness.
Annual program review.

The AED is only one component of a much larger solution.

The real question is not simply:

Do we have an AED?
It is:
Will it be ready, accessible, and used when someone collapse?

The goal is not AED ownership.

The goal is cardiac readiness.

And ultimately, the goal is survival.

**Proximity Is Not Readiness**

The central issue is not simply whether an AED is located nearby.

An AED can be within walking distance and still fail to become part of the rescue if it is:

• inside a locked or closed building
• difficult to see or locate
• unknown to neighbours
• unregistered
• expired or not inspected
• inaccessible after hours
• too difficult to retrieve quickly
• unsupported by people who feel confident enough to act

**Proximity is only one part of readiness.**

True readiness means the AED is:

**Visible. Accessible 24/7. Secure. Registered. Maintained. Current.**

It also means people understand the Chain of Survival and feel prepared to act.

Someone still has to recognize the cardiac arrest, call 911, begin CPR, retrieve the AED and use it during the first critical minutes.

The real question is not:

**“Is there an AED nearby?”**

It is:

**“Can someone see it, reach it, trust it and use it within minutes?”**

**AED nearby → Can anyone see it? → Can anyone reach it? → Is it ready? → Will someone act?**

We need to move from AED placement to true readiness.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/glenn-burke-5a43b11b_aed-cpr-cardiacarrest-activity-7473536136200577024-CwR9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAQm2QwBQl0tGzjzK_Rr_18KjNFlzcViDQU

AED Readiness Matters More Than Placement | Glenn Burke posted on the topic | LinkedIn One of the biggest myths about AEDs is that having one nearby is enough. It is not. I know this personally. I am a cardiac arrest survivor. When I suffered a major heart attack and cardiac arrest, I was lucky — but I was not saved by luck alone. The distress of a heart attack was recognized. 911 w...

I have a lot of karma with cardiac. "For 30 years I taught people how to save a life. In 2020, others saved mine."

Sometimes I wonder: Why was I saved? Why me? Why was I brought back?

The only answer I can come up with is that perhaps I was meant to tell part of my story—not only to improve survival after sudden cardiac arrest, but to help prevent some of them from happening in the first place.

When I look back over my life's work, it is clear that cardiac health has been a constant thread. I was a paramedic, worked in clinical perfusion, taught ACLS, and in 1999 wrote and developed one of Canada's first AED education programs and manuals through HeartSafe.

Then, in 2020, I became the patient.

What troubles me most is that many people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest never get the opportunity to tell their story. In Canada, a sudden cardiac arrest occurs approximately every eight minutes, and most victims do not survive. We never hear what they felt, how long they felt it, or whether they tried to seek help before their heart stopped.

As a survivor, I can tell you that symptoms are not always dramatic. Sometimes they are subtle, persistent, and easy to dismiss. Fatigue. Reduced exercise tolerance. Feeling "not quite right." Changes that develop gradually over months or years.

My experience has reinforced a belief I now hold strongly: we need greater vigilance when it comes to cardiovascular disease. We need to listen more carefully to patients. We need to ask better questions. We need to recognize that guidelines are important, but they should never replace thoughtful clinical judgment or meaningful conversations with patients about their concerns and risk factors.

Whether care is delivered in the public system or through a private program, patients deserve transparency, honesty, and a clear understanding of what is being monitored and why.

Most importantly, we need to focus more attention on early recognition and prevention. Saving lives after sudden cardiac arrest is important. Preventing the cardiac arrest from happening in the first place is even better.

That may be the reason I was given a second chance.

HeartSafe EMS is proud to share that we have renewed our approval as a WSIB First Aid Program Approved Training Provider for 2026.

After a detailed procurement and review process, including updated requirements, compliance standards, and evolving first aid legislation, we are approved to continue delivering workplace first aid and CPR training across Ontario.

HeartSafe EMS is an independent approved training provider. We are not operating under the Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Canadian Red Cross. Our programs are built and delivered through our own experienced team, with instruction shaped by real emergency response backgrounds — including first responders, paramedics, firefighters, and professional first aid/CPR instructors.

That matters to us.

Because first aid training should not feel like checking a box. It should prepare people for real moments, real pressure, and real life-saving action.

As regulations continue to evolve, so do we — strengthening our training, improving our systems, and building better resources to help workplaces, teams, and communities respond with confidence when every second matters.

HeartSafe EMS is honoured to continue this work in 2026.

Summer brings full parks, busy fields, packed venues — and higher responsibility.

Before the season gets busier, make sure your AEDs, staff, inspections, and emergency plan are ready when seconds matter.

HeartSafe EMS helps parks, recreation teams, venues, and workplaces stay prepared with CPR/AED training, AED checks, expiry tracking, and HeartTrak readiness support.

Be ready before the emergency.

AED readiness starts before the emergency.

With HeartTrak, HeartSafe EMS helps organizations track AED pads, batteries, and inspections so every site can stay rescue-ready and compliant.

Because having an AED is only the first step. Knowing it is ready is what matters.

Préparation DEA avant l’urgence.
HeartTrak aide à suivre les électrodes, les batteries et les inspections pour garder chaque DEA prêt à intervenir.

Visit HeartSafe EMS at Booth 36.

We’re at the show with booth support from Philips, sharing on-site CPR, AED and life-threatening bleed response training built for real construction crews, real jobsites and real scenarios.

Stop by to see how teams can train on the exact AED they will actually use and stay rescue-ready with HeartTrak follow-up.



OntarioConstruction

Cardiac Arrest Survivor Summit 2025 - Biggest Life Lesson

For nearly five years after my cardiac arrest, I never spoke openly to another survivor or co-survivor. I kept moving forward, working, building, advocating—but alone in the parts that mattered most.

When I tried to return to teaching CPR, it took almost a year just to step into a classroom. When I finally did, my body reacted before my mind could keep up. Sweating. Intense discomfort. A sense that something was deeply wrong. Still, I kept trying—every few months—because the work mattered and because quitting felt like failure.

Until one day in Ottawa, while speaking about sudden cardiac arrest and CPR, my body gave out completely. I collapsed. I was rushed to hospital. My wife had to fly overnight to be with me. From that moment on, travelling alone was no longer an option.

That was the line.

Not because I lacked courage.
Not because I lacked commitment.
But because trauma does not negotiate—and ignoring it has consequences.

So I stopped.

I stopped forcing myself into roles that caused harm. I stopped confusing endurance with purpose. I stopped apologizing for limits my body and nervous system had clearly defined.

And then, something unexpected happened.

In December 2025, at the Cardiac Arrest Survivor Summit in Arizona, I met other survivors and co-survivors for the first time. Regular people. Honest people. People still struggling, still adapting, still finding their way forward. In that space—without expectation, performance, or pressure—I felt something return.

Perspective.
Belonging.
Confidence.

Not the confidence of being “back to normal,” but the confidence of knowing who I am now.

I am a survivor who understands that survival changes you.
I am a person who serves life safety without sacrificing his own.
I am reinvented—not by pushing harder, but by being supported.

And that is enough.