Making Drouin “Heart-Safe”
March 30, 2016in Community News
The town of Drouin has moved a step closer to being Heart-Safe, with the mounting of a 24/7 publicly accessible defibrillator outside the Rotary Club of Drouin’s meeting place, the Hong Kong Inn on Princes Way, Drouin.
Club President Ian Bennett said the initiative was completely funded by the Rotary Club of Drouin, and was an important part of the Club’s project with Ambulance Victoria to make Drouin ‘Heart-Safe’.
“This defibrillator has been registered on the Ambulance Victoria database and is housed in a case on the outside of the building so it can be accessed by a member of the community in an emergency situation,” Mr Bennet said.
According to Ambulance Victoria prompt access to CPR and an AED can make the difference between life and death for a person suffering cardiac arrest.
AV Acting CEO Tony Walker said increasing the local knowledge of AED locations would improve access to the equipment in a life threatening emergency.
“Ambulance Victoria encourages any community group with an AED to ensure it is registered on the Ambulance Victoria database, www.registermyaed.com.au.”
“Once the unit is registered, its location can be mapped, making access in an emergency much quicker,” said Mr Walker
Ian Bennett said the Heart-Safe initiative intended to help more people survive after sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. When someone’s heart suddenly stops, they will generally not survive unless a number of interventions take place immediately, including CPR and defibrillation.
Mr Bennett and Mr Walker said the program being jointly undertaken by Ambulance Victoria and the Drouin Rotary Club would help the development of a state-wide initiative.