CAMBRIDGE – Another 76 heart-starting defibrillators are coming to Waterloo Region, to hang in the halls of elementary schools.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation and emergency medical officials made the announcement this morning at the Cambridge Cardiac Care Centre on Hespeler Road.

That will bring to 211 the number of the automatic lifesavers in easy reach at public buildings across the region.

The 135 units put in service over the past two years have been used six times after people collapsed at arena or public event. They helped save three people.

“That’s a 50-per-cent survival rate. Without them it’s usually like six or seven per cent,” said John Prno, manager of Waterloo Region Emergency Medical Services.

While the high-tech machines – costing $2,500 each – grab the public attention, medical officials don’t want people to forget other key part of saving someone’s life: knowing when to call 911 and how to apply CPR. Without recognizing the signs of a heart attack and being ready to efficiently apply heart-compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing, a defibrillator arrives too late to do much good.

Previously, the push was to put the “automatic external defibrillators” in gathering places for older people at higher risk of heart disease: ice arenas hosting old-timer hockey games, community centres or high schools.

The units are sometimes referred to as “speak and shock” units because they’re so simple to use. Press a button and a computer voice reminds the user to call for emergency medical help then guides him or her through placing self-stick pads on the chest of an unconscious person. The machine then decides if a shock can be applied to reset a heartbeat.

Schools are a comparatively low risk place for cardiac arrest, but some students have pre-existing heart conditions – sometimes unknown — said Dr. Shekhar Pandey, of the Cambridge Cardiac Centre.

The goal is to keep all young people physically active to boost their overall health, so putting defibrillators in schools is insurance in case the unthinkable happens.

“While a cardiac event is rare in young people, but it is tragic when it occurs,” Pandey said.