Healesville is one of 20 official Heart Safe Communities in Victoria and the only one in the Yarra Ranges, thanks to a program that has upskilled the community to save the life of someone having a cardiac arrest.
Ambulance Victoria (AV) Acting Team Manager Laura Wirth said that over the last two years, the Heart Safe Community program in Healesville has been vital in building community resilience and improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates for people living and working in the area.
“The expansion of the Heart Safe Community state-wide program, a joint initiative between AV and the Heart Foundation, built the confidence and skills in local communities to step in and provide life-saving assistance if someone is in cardiac arrest,” Ms Wirth said.
Healesville is one of 17 Heart Safe Communities that graduated at the end of June after the pilot program was launched in 2019.
“The program aimed to raise community awareness of cardiac arrest, promote the role of Triple Zero (000) in a cardiac emergency, teach people cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills, how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), identify and register existing defibrillators, install and register new defibrillators and promote and educate on the use of smart phone technologies, like the GoodSAM (Smartphone Activated Medic) App.”
Cardiac arrest happens when a person’s heart suddenly stops beating and stops pumping blood effectively around the body; it can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.
“While bystanders alone will never replace an ambulance service, equipping people with skills to start the chain of survival; starting chest compressions or CPR and using an AED does save lives,” Laura said.
“Anyone can save a life in three simple steps. Call, Push, Shock: Call Triple Zero (000), Push hard and fast on the middle of the chest, and Shock using an AED.”
An AED is used to deliver a shock to help restore normal heart rhythm following a cardiac arrest.
Thanks to the Heart Safe Community program’s 17 participating sites, over the last two years, 14 new public AEDs have been registered in Healesville.
Eight of them are available 24/7 and are located at the Healesville Uniting Church, Robyn Jane Children’s Centre, BP Healesville Service Station, AV Healesville branch, Victoria Police Station, Healesville CFA Fire Station, Healesville West CFA Fire Station and Chum Creek Primary School.
All eight have been registered on the AV AED Register which means that if someone suffers a cardiac arrest and a bystander calls 000, the call-taker can direct people to the nearest defibrillator.
“Anyone can use an AED, regardless of whether they have received training to do so,” Laura said.
“If someone is in cardiac arrest and an AED is available, simply open it and follow the verbal instructions. They are safe and easy to use and will not deliver a shock unless it is necessary.”
Ms Wirth also urges all local residents to register with GoodSAM that connects Victorians in cardiac arrest with responders and defibrillators in the critical minutes before paramedics arrive.
Responders only receive an alert if they are close to the person in cardiac arrest. They are given the address of the patient, along with the location of the closest defibrillator (if one is available), so that they can begin lifesaving care while an ambulance is on its way.
“Anyone can save a life by going to heartrestarter.com.au and signing up as a GoodSAM Responder today. You don’t have to have experience or a medical background, you just have to be willing and able to do hands-on CPR, be over 18 years of age and have access to a smartphone,” she said.
From July, 12 new communities have joined the Heart Safe Communities program: Bacchus Marsh, Kinglake, Coleraine, Lismore, Trentham, Hopetoun, Dunolly, Stanhope, Chiltern, Violet Town, Longwarry and Yallourn North.
Details on where the public can learn CPR and how to use an AED in one of the 12 new Heart Safe Communities locations will be announced shortly.
For further information on the Heart Safe Community program and how locations are selected visit www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/community/community-partnerships/heart-safe-communities/
