Ray Auclair doesn’t like that the only defibrillator at the McIntyre is just inside the front door. He wants one in the timekeeper’s box — for his “boys”.
Those boys are actually oldtimers he plays hockey with. The former city councillor went in front of the current council Monday night to ask for the second potentially life-saving machine that can shock a heart back into a proper rhythm when a hockey player, for instance, has a heart attack.
So Auclair asked council to buy the second one.
“Every second counts. I think a defibrillator should be a little closer to the ice, especially in Timmins,” he said. “We have maybe 40 guys who are 60 and over playing hockey”.
He says the one defibrillator inside the front door of the Mac is too far from the ice.
“I feel if someone falls on the east end, collapses on the east end, you’ve got to skate over here, get that defibrillator, skate back over there,” he told council. “One guy said to me ‘Listen, it’ll take us ten seconds.’ Even Connor McDavid won’t do it in ten seconds, okay?” He added that the second defibrillator could also be used for a spectator who collapses at a Timmins Rock game.
EMS has already told Auclair the existing defibrillator inside the front door of the Mac should not be moved. So he asked council to buy a second one.
Council was receptive to Auclair’s idea and will consult with EMS before a final decision.