Frontenac Neighbours Saving Neighbours cardiac arrest response

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We're seeking volunteer responders for a new pilot program for cardiac arrest in Frontenac.

The Neighbours Saving Neighbours (NsN) volunteer responder program for cardiac arrest aims to increase survival rates for those who suffer cardiac arrest in our communities.

About 35,000 people across the country experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year. Paramedics responded to 276 cases across Frontenac County and Kingston in 2020. The probability of survival for those patients decreases by as much as 10 percent per minute before emergency treatment begins. Fewer than 12 percent survive. But research shows that a patient who is treated by a properly trained and equipped bystander in those crucial minutes before paramedics arrive may be as much as three times as likely to survive cardiac arrest.

That’s where you come in. We’re seeking volunteer responders from across Frontenac to participate in a pilot program and research study about the best ways to increase survival rates for victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

As a volunteer, you’ll be assigned to a team of other volunteers based on geographic location. You’ll be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the safe and proper use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED).

Once trained, your group will be equipped with AEDs and you may be called upon by 911 communications professionals to attend possible cardiac arrest emergencies. Your role will be to assess the scene, administer CPR and use and AED if needed, and to assist paramedics when they arrive on scene.

This is all about learning new and better ways to save lives when seconds count.

This pilot program is conducted under the leadership of Dr. Steven Brooks and his research team at Queen’s University. Interested program volunteers will be asked to participate in the research component in which Dr. Brooks and his team will study the feasibility and effectiveness of programs like this one in rural communities like ours.

Please take some time to learn about the NsN program with the resources on this page. If you’re interested and think you could make a contribution to this important work, please complete the application form by clicking HERE.




™NEIGHBOURS SAVING NEIGHBOURS is a trademark of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada used under license.

We're seeking volunteer responders for a new pilot program for cardiac arrest in Frontenac.

The Neighbours Saving Neighbours (NsN) volunteer responder program for cardiac arrest aims to increase survival rates for those who suffer cardiac arrest in our communities.

About 35,000 people across the country experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year. Paramedics responded to 276 cases across Frontenac County and Kingston in 2020. The probability of survival for those patients decreases by as much as 10 percent per minute before emergency treatment begins. Fewer than 12 percent survive. But research shows that a patient who is treated by a properly trained and equipped bystander in those crucial minutes before paramedics arrive may be as much as three times as likely to survive cardiac arrest.

That’s where you come in. We’re seeking volunteer responders from across Frontenac to participate in a pilot program and research study about the best ways to increase survival rates for victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

As a volunteer, you’ll be assigned to a team of other volunteers based on geographic location. You’ll be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the safe and proper use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED).

Once trained, your group will be equipped with AEDs and you may be called upon by 911 communications professionals to attend possible cardiac arrest emergencies. Your role will be to assess the scene, administer CPR and use and AED if needed, and to assist paramedics when they arrive on scene.

This is all about learning new and better ways to save lives when seconds count.

This pilot program is conducted under the leadership of Dr. Steven Brooks and his research team at Queen’s University. Interested program volunteers will be asked to participate in the research component in which Dr. Brooks and his team will study the feasibility and effectiveness of programs like this one in rural communities like ours.

Please take some time to learn about the NsN program with the resources on this page. If you’re interested and think you could make a contribution to this important work, please complete the application form by clicking HERE.




™NEIGHBOURS SAVING NEIGHBOURS is a trademark of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada used under license.

  • Surviving cardiac arrest should not depend on luck

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    HealthyDebate.ca — By Dr. Steven Brooks — Surviving sudden cardiac arrest depends largely on luck – and it shouldn’t be this way. When cardiac arrest happens, every second counts. There are three things that need to be done as soon as possible to maximize chances of survival – calling 9-1-1, starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an automated external defibrillator (AED). CPR keeps blood flowing to vital organs while AEDs provide a small electrical shock to get the heart pumping again.

  • First NsN cohort completes in-person CPR/AED training

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    The very first cohort of 16 Neighbours Saving Neighbours (NsN) volunteer responders for cardiac arrest met for in-person CPR and AED training at Frontenac Paramedics headquarters May 8. Volunteer application response has been very good so far but there's still room and time to apply. The more volunteers, the better. Just follow the link to learn more -> http://bit.ly/4083Cn1


    The program is open to volunteers living, working, or spending time in Frontenac County, on Wolfe and Howe Islands or north of 401. Volunteer responders are trained by Frontenac Paramedics and equipped with AEDs. Volunteers are alerted by 911 Ambulance Communications Officers via mobile app when a cardiac arrest emergency may be happening nearby. Responders may begin CPR and AED treatment in the precious seconds and minutes before paramedics arrive. They could save the life of a neighbour, friend, or family member, and you could, too.


  • Frontenac County program training regular people to save lives

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    CKWS Global News Kingston - Frontenac County is looking for volunteers to receive training that could save their neighbours’ lives.The program is designed to crowdsource first-response aid help people having an emergency. For someone having a heart attack just a few minutes could mean the difference between life and death.

  • Neighbours saving neighbours

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    QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY GAZETTE - Each year, 35,000 Canadians experience cardiac arrests – their hearts stop beating unexpectedly. When this happens outside of the hospital, up to 90 per cent of patients die. However, chances of survival are much better with immediate treatment, like cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or defibrillation.

  • Pilot project aims to train community volunteers to respond to cardiac arrests

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    CBC RADIO OTTAWA, ALL IN A DAY - Dr. Steven Brooks tells us about the Neighbours saving Neighbours program -- and why it wants to train volunteer residents of Frontenac country to respond to cardiac arrest calls before a paramedic arrives.

  • Volunteers needed for new life-saving pilot program in Frontenac County

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    KINGSTONIST - A new innovative program aims to improve emergency response times for cardiac events throughout Frontenac County with the help of volunteer responders. Researchers from Queen’s University have partnered with Frontenac Paramedics to create the Neighbours saving Neighbours program for cardiac arrest.

  • Celebrating the impact of health research: our newest Cinq à Sept Research Talks

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    FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY - As an ER physician and scientist, Dr. Steven Brooks (Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine) knows that every second counts when trying to save someone’s life—especially during a cardiac event. His research examines what happens in an emergency before someone reaches the hospital, and how to improve the odds of survival so it’s not largely based on luck. Watch his talk on how “Only the lucky survive cardiac arrest.”

  • The Beat - The life-saving power of an AED feat. Dr. Steven Brooks

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    HEARTANDSTROKE.CA - It’s dramatic, scary and unexpected. When Philip’s heart stopped at a hockey tournament, his teammates rallied to save his life, with the help of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

  • Frontenac County Pilot Project Neighbours Saving Neighbours

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    FRONTENAC NEWS - As an emergency room physician and researcher into cardiac arrest and resuscitation, Dr. Stephen Brooks of the Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Queen's, is well aware of a rather startling reality faced by patients when they suffer heart attacks.

  • Looking at the future of sudden cardiac arrest research and community response with Dr. Steven Brooks

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    Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization - Dr. Steven Brooks is an associate professor in Emergency Medicine and cross-appointed to the Department of Public Health Sciences. He is an attending physician at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, where he supervises clinical clerks, observers in medicine, residents in emergency medicine in the Royal College program and the College of Family Physicians program, and off-service residents who are rotating in the Emergency Department (ED) as part of their training in other specialties.

Page last updated: 10 May 2023, 11:08 AM