Saving lives in Inverloch
EVERY second counts when a person suffers a cardiac arrest and with that in mind the Heart Foundation and Inverloch’s Men’s Shed have joined forces to help support those in serious trouble in their area.
Inverloch’s first 24-hour automated external defibrillator (AED) is now accessible on the external walls of the Inverloch’s Men’s Shed.
It’s the only 24 hour defibrillator in a radius of approximately 70 kilometres.
Other defibrillators exist in the town, but are only available during business hours or at specific times.
Heart Foundation’s Danielle Saxton said the unit is designed for people with no experience at all. Everybody can step in and save a life.
Heart Foundation CEO Victoria, Kellie-Ann Jolly, praised the community-led initiative in the busy tourist town.
“Gippsland has the state’s highest incidence for out of hospital cardiac arrests, so it’s vitally important that we get more lifesaving defibrillators out from behind locked doors.”
For every minute without lifesaving intervention, a person’s chance of surviving decreases by 10 percent.
Tragically, only one in 10 Victorians who suffer out of hospital cardiac arrests survive.
“Every second counts in a cardiac arrest. Saving a life can be as simple as knowing CRP and using an AED,” Ms Jolly said.
Following the recent presentation of the AED, representatives from the Heart Foundation demonstrated how to apply the device and how to perform CPR to a group of community members at the Inverloch Hub.
According to the Heart Foundation, a person is twice as likely to survive when CPR is performed. When an AED is also used, this survival rate dramatically increases again.
The presentation formed part of the Heart Safe Community Project, launched in March this year, which aims to empower communities to feel confident to act if they witnessed a cardiac arrest.
Not only is the AED available around the clock, but it will also be registered with Ambulance Victoria so that paramedics can quickly determine the location once an emergency call is received.
“Once the 000 call goes in, Ambulance Victoria will be able to pinpoint the location and get help. They can also talk you through the process of using the AED.” Ms Saxton said.
With helicopter and ambulance accessibility, Inverloch’s first 24 hour defibrillator is in an ideal location at Inverloch Men’s Shed at the recreation reserve – all while still being in the heart of the town.
The Men’s Shed now aims to raise awareness of the defibrillator through direct contact with community groups and via Facebook to ensure everyone knows of its location and use.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Apr 9 2019. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
