Defibrillator zaps heart attack victim back to life A NEW auto external defibril- lator (AED) purchased for the West Vancouver Fire Department by West Vancouver District go. a con- vincing demonstration on July 25 outside council chambers. By Kate Zimmerman News Reporter Following the public question peziod at 10:40 p.m., Jack Howard of the Gleneagles Ratepayers Association left the chamber and went into full cardiac arrest. Parks manager Erik Lees and land surveyor Bill Chapman attempted to administer CPR while someone called the fire depart- ment, which is located next door. “They were doing the besi they could and in walked the fire depart- ment,” said onlooker Maureen Curtis, a North Shore News con- tributing writer who described Howard as a “regular” at council meetings. Within about 90 seconds of the phone call, members of the fire department had reached Howard's side with the equipment, purchased in June. “Our AED gave him a couple of zaps and brought him back to life,” said assistant chief Steve Sentes, noting that during a cardiac arrest there is a “golden four-minute peri- od” during which it’s possible to get the heart started again. The unit chief of B.C. Ambulance Service said para- medics from B.C. Ambulance fol- lowed up the defibriflation with advanced life support. Tim Jones said the incident was an excellent example of the use of defibrillators in the carly stage of treatment and the subsequent con- tinuation of care. “It worked out really well.” The fire department had five defibrillators donated to it by coun- cil, the West) Vancouver Foundation, the West Vancouver Firefighters Union and the West Vancouver Kiwanis in June. Previous to those donations, firefighters could only use CPR and external heart massaging to revive cardiac arrest victims. “Now we can give the heart a shock,” said Sentes. The July 25 incident was the first time in Western Canada that a fire depart- ment had saved a life using an AED. Howard was listed in stable condition in Lions Gate Hospital to press time Tuesday. Teen rescued from W. Van pool A KOREAN boy’s first day in Canada almost ended in disas- ter Monday, July 25, when he was spotted at the bottom of the pool at the West ‘Vancouver aquatic centre. By Kate Zimmerman ' News Reporter According io facility supervisor Jill Johnson, the 14-year-old boy cand five friends had been daring each other to swim to the bottom - | Of the pool and hold their breath. ‘The boy, who Johnson did not raise wish to identify, passed out around 9:40 p.m. : “One of the lifeguards (Stephanie Blicq) heard a scream, blew the whistle, and then pulled him out of the pool,” said lifeguard Tamara Michalas, who, with an anonymous swimmer, helped Blicq. The boy immediately vomited and started breathing. Within minutes, Michalas said, the fire department and ambulance services had arrived. They took the boy by ambulance to Lions Gate Hospital, where he was examined and then discharged. “The lifeguards are to be com- mended for doing a fantastic job.” said Johnson. She said the centre had received many calls from members of the public complimenting the efficien- cy with which the lifeguards cleared the pool and handled the situation. The boy had been- swimming with friends, one of whom acted as a translator on his behalf. He is a visitor to Canada and speaks little English. Michalas said the incident revealed that the rescue system ‘works. project to - est Van seawalk wm: NEYIS photo Paul McGrath Deck with a view A NEW observation tower was opened Friday at Harbourview Park in North Vancouver. Left to right, North Vancouver District Mayor Murray Dykeman, North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Dan Jarvis, North Vancouver City Mayor Jack Loucks and North Vancouver MP Ted White take in the view. | index @ A Day in Court............14 Budget Beaters.............34 &@ Business.. eee “High priority’ project to be considered for GVRD funding in November WEST VANCOUVER’S popular sea- walk will be raised and widened if a $3.1 million Greater Vancouver: Regional District (GVRD) sewer project goes ahead. . WEST VANCOUVER ‘: DISTRICT COUNCIL By Maureen Curtis “A real effort will be made to make this a popular seawalk project,” said consulting engineer Gordon Leidal of Kerr, Wood Leidal, at the July 25 meeting of West Vancouver District Council. The GVRD sewer trunk line, into which the municipa} sewer system feeds, is at capacity, according to Leidal. . This is particularly so during wet weather, when the extra run-off seeps into the system and occasionally results in flooded basements. After a year of studying the problem, Leidal and other members of the consulting team for the GVRD came up with several options. The most ‘cost-effective option was forwarded to the West Vancouver Parks Department. Phase I of the Hollyburn Sewer Relief Project will add a large, 76-centimetre (30- inch) sewer pipeline between Dundarave at 25th Street and 15th Street. ; Future phases will extend the new line to 13th in 10 to 15 years and then to Ambleside’ CALL US: 983-2208 ” Park in 20 to 25 years. For Phase I, the portion of the seawalk between 19th Street and midway between 23rd and 24th streets would be rebuilt with the sewer line running alongside to the north of it. The pipes would be large, but by raising the seawalk by 76 centimetres (30 inches) con- struction of retaining walls could be avoided. The municipal parks department does not object to raising the seawalk because it is cur- rently so low that ocean debris is frequently tossed onto it during winter storms. The new, higher walk would also drain bet- ter, according to Leidal. “This is a real opportunity for us to enhance the capacity of the seawalk,” said parks manager Erik Lees. The walk, which is already at capacity, would also be widened from three metres (10 feet) to about 4.5 metres (15 feet), to accom- modate service vehicles and more people. West Vancouver resident Marie Moskovitch, believes it would be a mistake to enlarge the seawalk, however. “(It) is used to capacity; to make it larger would be inviting more people and parking is at a premium,” she wrote in a recent letter to the Nerth Shore News. The parks department would be involved in the plans for landscaping the area between the seawalk, the dog walk and the BC Rail line further up. Moskovitch has been instrumental in rais- ing at least $35,000 over the past seven years for an improved dog walk. She is concerned that the dog walk’s inclu- sion in the GVRD sewer project will result in something that is overly landscaped. “It (the dog walk) should be plain, but ele- gant... not turned into a jungle that we don’t have the staff to look after,” she said. Moskovitch is also upset that the sewer line will wreck the newly developed Seawalk Gardens park at the foot of 19th Street. She believes that it would be less cosily and disruptive to place the sewer line north of the BC Rail line. An information display about the sewer- seawalk project will be on display along the seawalk this summer. . Leidal anticipates that the plans will go to the GVRD for funding and approval in November. : “This is considered a high priority at the GVRD,” Mayor Mark Sager (and GVRD vice- chairman) said at the council meeting. Construction may go to tender soon after the approval of funding. Work may begin in January, when the sea- walk is less used than at other times of the year. During the 15-week construction period, use of the seawalk will be disrupted to varying degrees. General closure of the entire seawalk will last a total of about 15 days. The cost of the project will be carried one-third by the West Vancouver taxpayer, one-third by the North Shore as a whole and one-third by the GVRD. The trunk line is considered part of the entire North Shore sewer system and the GVRD system. THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Classified............... Pee) B Doug Collins.........eseeeF BE COMICS... ssseesscssenneesnnse de BE Crossword sneer Cuisine Scene............ wd Bob Hunter..........0 severe Wi Inquiring Reporter..........10 Insights............. @ Lifestyles @ Mailbox............ @ News of the Weird........32 @ North Shore Now. Sports. @ TV Listings........... seeeeves 25 @ Noel Wright. Weather Thursday: cloudy with sunny periods, 40% chance of show- ers high 22°C, low 13°C Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number 0087238 How do you rate ICBC’s performance in relation to claim settlements?