Peel Paramedics exploring concept of drone-delivered defibrillators

CaledonEnterprise
July 6, 2017
Danielle Marr

When someone suffers from a heart attack, immediate CPR and early defibrillation can mean the difference between life and death.

That is why Peel Regional Paramedic Services have agreed to partner with Vaughan-based company Drone Delivery Canada to research the possibility of autonomously-operated drone-delivered AED machines.

“The quicker that we can get that device to a patient and use it, the better,” said Peel Regional Paramedic Chief Peter Dundas. “We are always looking to improve outcomes with something like cardiac arrest and these guys needed a paramedic service to partner with so we jumped on board.”

The concept is as futuristic as it sounds — defibrillators deployed and delivered on scene within moments of 911 being called.

While drones are normally remote-controlled by an operator, these will be autonomous robots flying a mission all on their own.

They will be particularly beneficial for improving response times in Caledon where the paramedic service is hoping to focus the research and flight-testing, Dundas added.

“Caledon is just not as densely populated as the rest of Peel where access to a defibrillator is much more likely,” he said. "The rule of thumb to start using a defibrillator when someone goes into cardiac arrest is 90 seconds."

The hope with the project of drone-delivered AEDs is to close the gap of time between when a call is made and emergency services arrive — particularly in more remote or rural locations like Caledon.

According to Tony Di Benedetto, CEO of Drone Delivery Canada, the project is still very much in the research and development stages but the company is confident that flight-testing will begin within less than a year.

“Say a farmer is in a field haying and their baler sees them go down, they call 911 and start CPR,” Dundas added. “The possibility of an AED being delivered to them is futuristic, but in reality we are seeing what drones can really do right now and it has some amazing potential to save lives.”