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6 - The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, September 24, 2002 SCOMMENT Country fun is coming YP~ to town this weekend There are few places where a 60-year-old and a six-year-old can find T I L B L O K 1P J P common amusement, but a snall-town fali fair is one of the places. The fair is the ideal setting for aduits to let the kid inside them outi if only for a short while. The clatter of the amusement rides, the smell of hay from the animal stails, and the tangy scent of candy floss and other goodies wafting down the midway are enough to make even the most "adult' grown-up become a child again. While most of Milton's population is well aware that this Friday marks the opening of the three-day Milton Faîl Fair - a tradition for 149 years - some newer residents to our town mnay not realize the fun this event has to offer. To these people, we suggest you hostie over to the fairgrounds somne- timne during the weekend to check out what you've been miissing. Fali fairs are a celebration of rural life- a lifestyle that's slowly eroding as development continues. But fair weekends offer every "1ciîy slicker" a chance to see, among other things. champion livestock inc action, horse pulls and home-made crafts. The country comes to the town s0 rarely these days, so why not treat yourself and take in the Milton Faîl Fair. O UR READERS WRITE Non-air conditioned classrooms make it Retîred yei as we need to optîmîze difficuit for studentsto concentrate: Parent emergency system before startîng PAD DerEditor: School is back in fuil swing and stu- dents are attempting to improve upon last year. But 1 have 10 ask - with thse cur- rent weather conditions, is il really possi- ble for kids to reach ther fuMlpotntial? W'th unseasonabty high temperatures recently and non-air-conditioned schools, students can't seem 10o talk about anything but the sweteing heat of thse ctassrooms. Ask any student who atteds a schoo tht isn't air-conditioned and he or sise will teil you it's torture. Students arnt the only unes who are steffering. Teahers ait frustrated with thse fact that their stuidenis are unable to concentrate. As a resuit, teachers are forced to slow down and in some cases cul classes short due to the inability of students 10 focus under such heated conditions. T'he botom line is that without air-con- ditioned classroorns, students can't think or be expected 10 performn when the only thought present in their minds is the idea that tbey may be mietting. Beley Schro.der Surllngon THE CAZNADIAN CHAMPION Box 248, 191 Main St.E, Miton, Ont. L9T 4N9 (905) 878-2341 Editoial Fax: 905-878-4943 Advertising Fax: 905-876-2364 Classified: 905-875-3300 Circulation: 905-878-5947 Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Asseciate Publislier Jili Davis Editor-in-Chief Karen Smith Editor Wendy McNab Advertisng Manager Steve Crozier circulation Manager Teri Casas Office Manager Tlm Cales Production Manager The Canadian Champion. pblissed eveny Tuesday and Fiday at 191 Main St. E. Miton. Ont., LT 4N9 (Box 248), is ont of The Metoland Printing. Pubishit5 & Distibuting Ltd. group of suburban compaties wic5 inclattts:AaxPickering News Advttisen, Alliston Head/Courier, latrie Adance, tarnys Bay This Week, tolten Eterprîse, Btampton Soatdian, Burlitîton Post, turlington Sopping News, City Parent, City of York Goarnian, Collngwood/Wasaga Cotrectiot, East York Mîtrot, Einn Advocate/Countny Routes, Etobicoke Guadinan, Famborough Post, Forever Youtg, Georgeownl ndependent/Acton Fre Pess, Hator Business Times Hunonia Basiness Tmes, Kigston This Wtek, Lndsay This Week, Markîam Ecotomist & Su, MidandPeetanuisttt Mrnrn Miltt Shoppng News, Mississauga Business Tmes, Mississaoîa News, sapante Guide, Nassagawtya Nws, ttwmarkeysAurora Ea-tanner, Nothumberland Ntws, soish York Mitro, Gekolle Beaver, Oakille Shoppng Nws, Oldtîmers Hockey News. Onîllia Today, Oshawa/Wbit5yiClarington/Port Penny Ths Week, Pterborough Ths Week, Picton County Guide, Ricmond HillThtrntillNaughat Libera, Scarbonoogh Miro, StoatvilleUebridtt Tribune. Advertisitg s accepted on the condition that, in the toton oC a typa- graphical enor, that potion efthte advetising space occupitd by thet smo- neouo item, togeiben sith a reasonable allowance fon signature, wllnttlse claged fo, balishe balance o thi adootisement wilI sie paid on t the appli- cable rate. The publisben rsîmves the nighte categornue adnertisemenis on decine. % . 5Mo Caeadimeanp M e e aRcycabis Pnid-te Dear Editor: This lelser is in response ta the September 13 Champion article by Richard Vivian entitled 'Public defibrillation programi gets initial approval'. Ambulances can take up lu 10 minutes before arrivaI at the patient's side, according 10 Greg Sage of the Halton Region Health Department. He then states that eerly public access defibrillation (PAD) offers the most favourable survival rate if the shocks are given within three tu four minutes froni the sIsa of a cardiac arrest. I question whether setting up defibrillation machines in public places wîll close the critical gap between the ideal three 10 four min- utes and ambulance arrivaI at the patient's side. Il's not likely. So what's the answer for people at risk in our town? The answers can be found in an Ontario pre-hospital study that started in the early 1990s. Phase une of the study has been completed and il fnund an overaîl survival rate of 3.5 per cent for car- diac arrest victims. They concluded that patient sur- vival may be improved by opti- mization of emergency medical services including police, firefight- ers and ambulance. This means getting a defibrillator to the patient in eight minutes or less for 90 per cent of cerdise arrest cases and increasing bystander CPR as well as first-responder CPR by firefighters and police. Recent phone calîs lu the Milton Fire Department and Halton Regional Police revealed that defib- rillation machines eren't carried by either service. This leaves ambu- lances as the only provider of eerly shocks in patients having a cardiac arrest outside of our hospital. Before we start screwing defibril- lators 10 public walls, let's ensure that we have an adequate number of ambulances to lower the response tumes. equip the fire depertment and police vehicles with the machines before the public and increase CPR skilîs within the com- munity. In addition, let's sIa having bots the Milton Fire Department and Halton police respond to alI med- ical calîs involving chest pain, severe shortness of breath or unconsciousness, as they can ofien arrive before the ambulance. This is called tiered response ini our surrounding communities. Unfortunately Milton lacks such a service. If 85 per cent of cardiac errests occur in the home, we need to gel defibrillators there fast. Mr. Sage, if you're senious about increasing sur- vival in Milton, let's optimize the current emergency system, moniitor the outcomes and then consider PAD. Simon Ferrazzi, retlred medic Pud by Steve Nease