A COMMUNITY campaign to install automated defibrillators in the Bellarine Peninsula has paid off, with two new units now ready for use.<\/p>\n
Residents and traders worked together to fund and install the new defibrillators at IGA supermarkets in Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff.<\/p>\n
The two Automated External Defibrillators, or AED machines, are located in marked and unlocked boxes at IGA supermarkets and are the first defibrillators available 24\/7 in the Borough.<\/p>\n
David Jarman ran the campaign to install the machines after realising the Borough didn\u2019t have any defibrillators that could be accessed at any time of day.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving defibrillators available for public use will make our community safer,\u201d Mr Jarman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we hope the defibrillators never need to be used, we\u2019re now better prepared to respond quickly to an emergency in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other members of the community, including Point Lonsdale IGA owner Tamara Gaylard, joined Mr Jarman\u2019s campaign, organising training in using the new machines.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe organised training by Ambulance Victoria, and invited our staff and other traders to take part so we all know how to use a defibrillator in an emergency,\u201d Ms Gaylard said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHosting these defibrillators on our stores is part of how we can give back to a community we love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Borough of Queenscliffe mayor Ross Ebbels joined Mr Jarman to promote the new defibrillators.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese new defibrillators are a testament to the fantastic initiative of our community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank Bendigo Bank and the Queenscliff Point Lonsdale Community Enterprise for providing part of the funding for the new equipment, as well as David and the other members of our community who raised much-needed funds.\u201d<\/p>\n
24\/7 defibrillators can save lives by ensuring heart attack victims receive immediate treatment while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.<\/p>\n
Applying defibrillation within the first few minutes of cardiac arrest can increase the chance of survival by more than 70 per cent, compared to less than 5 per cent without a defibrillator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A COMMUNITY campaign to install automated defibrillators in the Bellarine Peninsula has paid off, with two new units now ready for use. Residents and traders worked together to fund and install the new defibrillators at IGA supermarkets in Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff. The two Automated External Defibrillators, or AED machines, are located in marked and […]<\/p>\n