General News
28 November, 2022
Life saving AED information session headed to Wareek CFA
In a bid to give Wareek and Bung Bong residents a life-saving chance against cardiac arrests, paramedics are organising a free Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and CPR training session. Maryborough paramedics will hold a session on Friday...
In a bid to give Wareek and Bung Bong residents a life-saving chance against cardiac arrests, paramedics are organising a free Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and CPR training session.
Maryborough paramedics will hold a session on Friday, December 2 at 7 pm, at the Wareek Fire Station on 1095 Maryborough-St Arnaud Road, for locals who want to learn or refresh their skills in using the defibrillator and performing CPR.
These are skills that can be pivotal in improving survival outcomes among those experiencing cardiac arrests.
“Ambulance Victoria responds to around 19 cardiac arrests a day, we know that with early CPR and AED use the survival rate from cardiac arrest can go from 10 percent to as high as 88 percent,” Ambulance Victoria acting operations community engagement coordinator Loddon Mallee Region Ben Miller said.
“Hands only CPR is easy to learn and can be performed by most people. Likewise AED’s — are an easy to use, intuitive, life saving devices that require no formal training.”
The upcoming session was planned after the Wareek CFA recently made the AED available for public use at all times by installing it outside the fire station.
“We have a community AED now, it just sits on the side of the shed in a cabinet for the community to use. So we thought we should also teach the community how to use it,” Wareek and Bung Bong Fire Brigade secretary Barbara Ipsen said.
“I have discovered through talking to a lot of people that they think you just use the defibrillator, without CPR, but you have to do both. So this will be an important session.”
Ms Ipsen is calling on local residents to attend because it could save someone’s life.
“Now that we have a defibrillator in the community, it saves a lot of crucial time. It’s important people are educated in the use of these things, because they have saved many lives,” she said.
“It’s just so much easier and because it’s close it makes things quicker. The more quickly you’re able to respond, the better the outcome.”