This student watched his friend die: He's angry Vancouver won't mandate life-saving medical device in schools

AEDs are an easy-to-use, portable device that can detect an abnormal heart rhythm and send an electric shock to restart the heart.

An AED , combined with CPR rescue breathing, can increase the likelihood of surviving a cardiac arrest by as much as 75 per cent .

The Vancouver school district says it follows the advice of the provincial health authority.

Students want an AED in their school "to protect each other" as well as adults in the building.

Surrey , Burnaby , West Vancouver , North Vancouver and Richmond all have AEDs.

Richmond school district recently approved spending $ 180,000 to buy one or two AED for each elementary school.

North Vancouver school district is looking into putting AEDs in all 25 elementary schools over the next several years .

About 10 schools, including Dorothy Lynas , were prioritized for reasons such as the type of community groups that use the gyms.

Emergency physician Erin Fukushima ’s daughter, who attends a secondary school in North Vancouver , has a medical condition that predisposes her to cardiac arrest.

Emergency doctor: "The margin of error for not being able to save a life should really be as low as possible".