New heart starter for Meredith

In case of emergency: Leah Phillips, Manager at the Meredith Community Centre and Peter Boer from the town’s CERT with the new AED. Photo: ALISTAIR FINLAY

RESIDENTS at Meredith have a new grab and go option if anyone in the district suffers a cardiac arrest.

A modern automatic external defibrillator has been installed on the outside of the Community Centre on Russell Street, and with the town so far from rapid ambulance response people are being encouraged to use the device if needs be.

“Time is of the essence in a cardiac arrest,” said Peter Boer from Meredith’s volunteer Community Emergency Response Team.

“The sooner that you can get CPR and good defibrillation, the better the outcome possibility for the patient.

“CERT are not on duty all the time, so anytime, night and day, if people know there’s an AED here, they can access it.”

The new AED was purchased and installed with the help of a $3000 grant from the Moorabool Wind Farm and replaces an old device no longer located at the former doctor’s surgery.

While applying a 200-plus-kilojoule shock to someone’s chest might seem daunting, Meredith Community Centre manager Leah Phillips was mindful that the positioning of the AED meant anyone could use it to save a life.

“It means that the school, the kindergarten, and the occasional care kids can all use it, as well as the whole of Meredith has access and knows where it is,” she said.

“Because of where the Centre is situated, and the community knows we’re here, we wanted the AED to be part of the community and have access to it should the need occur.”

As part of getting people comfortable with the defibrator and encouraging its use, Ms Phillips said the Community Centre would be holding some training sessions.

Interest in using the device might also have an extra benefit.

“We plan to run some courses in relation to how to use it with all the kids as well as the families,” Ms Phillips said. “It might also give the CERT, hopefully, some more volunteers.”

However, effective use of the AED isn’t dependent on being trained in it.

“It tells you what to do,” Mr Boer said. “It’s completely safe and certainly talks you through things.

“If it saves one life it’s worth it.”