Latest news with #AutomaticExternalDefibrillators
Herald Sun
28-07-2025
- Health
- Herald Sun
St John Ambulance urge Victorian government not to fall behind other states on defibrillator rollout
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News. The state government has been urged to follow South Australia and mandate defibrillators in public buildings. St John Ambulance Victoria, which launched its Defib In Your Street program in Werribee on Friday, said the move could save thousands of lives. 'More than 7500 Victorians suffer a sudden cardiac arrest every year and survival relies on quick access to a defibrillator and training the community in its use,' chief executive Gordon Botwright said. St John has placed more than 90 Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) in Victoria across Reservoir, St Albans and Sunshine, plus trained 12,500 community members in CPR in the past three years. The Defib In Your Street program aims to reduce time to access a defibrillator in a bid to increase survival rates of people suffering Sudden Cardiac Arrest by providing free training and greater access to more public defibrillators. The area of Werribee located in Wyndham City Council is home to more than 28,000 people across a 12.7 sq km area, but St John Ambulance data shows it the only has three publicly-accessible defibrillators available 24-hours a day. 'It's literally a case where every second counts … with every extra minute that a person is in cardiac arrest, their chances of surviving fall by 10 per cent,' Mr Botwright said. 'Since initiating Defib In Your Street in 2022, we have installed more than 90 defibrillators in Melbourne suburbs with a high incidence of sudden cardiac arrest, and we have substantially reduced the time needed to access a defibrillator. 'The state government needs to follow the lead of SA where more than 1000 defibrillators have been installed, so we can work together and improve access to these lifesaving devices for all Victorians. Latrobe University data of the Defib In Your Street pilot program found that in Reservoir the program reduced travel time for residents to their nearest defibrillator by 2.32 minutes (68 per cent), and doubled AED coverage for cardiac arrests. Werribee resident and retired firefighter George Andrews praised the St John program and encouraged local community members to get involved. 'Having had first-hand experience in conducting CPR on a neighbour … I know how vital timing is in improving survival rates, so I didn't think twice about becoming the first person to host a public access defibrillator,' Mr Andrews said. 'The AED units are very easy to operate so if we can improve access to them by increasing the numbers in the suburb, we will have a far greater chance of saving precious lives,' he said. St John plans to make 30 publicly-available defibrillators (PADs) accessible in Werribee to ensure there is one every 400m.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ten new defibrillators installed in northeastern Wisconsin to help save lives
WAUPACA, Wis. (WFRV) – Ten life-saving defibrillators have been installed at key public places around Waupaca, thanks to a partnership between Gold Cross Ambulance's HeartStart Foundation, the Rotary Club of Waupaca, and student nurses from UW-Oshkosh. The student nurses helped identify areas that lacked public access to AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators), which are used during cardiac emergencies. New location, same mission: Goodwill NCW opens Howard donation center When an emergency happens, every second counts. Our mission is to build healthier, safer communities. Heather Stenbroten, Administrative Director at Gold Cross From stuck to safe, an opossum gets surprise rescue from Neenah Community Service Aides Gold Cross has already installed over 300 AEDs across northeastern Wisconsin. In rural areas like Waupaca, where emergency response times can be longer, quick access to an AED can mean the difference between life and death. The ten AEDs are now accessible at these locations: The ten AEDs are now accessible at these locations: Wheelhouse Restaurant Clearwater Harbor The Woods Restaurant Rustic Woods Campground H.H. Hinder Brewing Co. City of Waupaca – City Hall Empty Barrel Distillery Simpson's Restaurant Schueller's Great Exspechtations Restaurant Piggly Wiggly Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
