Bannockburn defib set to save lives

LAST month, Andrea Bolton was “shocked” to discover a booming Shire town lacked an easily accessible, lifesaving community resource.

“Bannockburn did not have a 24-seven, publicly accessible AED. St John Ambulance’s Eichelle Carey and I set about changing that,” she said.

At the time, St John Ambulance team members could purchase defibrillators for $1500. Ms Carey and Ms Bolton set up a GoFundMe campaign aiming to raise that figure. They made a call to action on community social media pages.

“It happened so quickly. After 12 hours, we were $345 short of the goal. We put another post up, and within 21 minutes we had met the goal.

“We are grateful to community member, Natalie Andrews, who agreed to sponsor that defibrillator into the future. Every two years, unused pads need to be replaced as their adhesive perishes. They’re roughly worth $112,” Ms Bolton said.

“She will also fund a battery replacement every four years, worth $263.”

The defibrillator has been installed at the Bannockburn Police Station. It is in an alarmed case, publicly accessible, day and night, and is registered with Ambulance Victoria.

Anyone in the area who contacts 000 for an ambulance will be notified by the call-taker of the AED’s location, if necessary.

“I spoke extensively with Ambulance Victoria about finding the right location to house this AED,” Ms Bolton said.

“Bannockburn Police Station was the most central location, and with insurance being cost-prohibitive, it was also the safest place to house it.

“Sergeant Craig Grant was very supportive and gained permission from Victoria Police to have it attached to the brick wall. Craig’s gone above and beyond, and has done an amazing job to get it up as quickly as possible.”

COVID-19 restrictions permitting, it is expected that community training sessions will take place soon, in collaboration with Ambulance Victoria.

“We thank the Bannockburn community for their generous donations. This is their defibrillator,” Ms Bolton said.