The 1st New Gisborne Scout Group has joined five community groups to receive a St John Ambulance defibrillator as part of St John Ambulance’s Shocktober commitment.
St John Ambulance Victoria recently handed over a G3 elite semi-automatic defibrillator valued at $2150 to the group for the use of their members and the wider Gisborne community.
St John Victoria chief executive Gordon Botwright said getting more defibrillators out into the community was crucial.
“Having more easily accessible defibrillators out in the local community can be the difference between life or death during a cardiac arrest.” Mr Botwright said.
“If patients are shocked by a publicly accessible defibrillator, their chances of survival can increase from as low as five per cent to as high as 70 per cent– as seen in some parts of the world.
“We are incredibly proud to be working with inspiring organisations like 1st New Gisborne Scout Group.
“They submitted a worthy application and clearly care deeply about the health and safety of their members and the wider community.”
Heather Barker from the 1st New Gisborne Scout Group said they were elated to get a defib for their hall.
“We are very excited to receive a new defibrillator. We have a brand-new hall and to now have a new defib will be a wonderful asset to the entire Gisborne community,” Ms Barker said.
”We have a lot of kids going through our hall, we have a church next door and a community garden, so all those users will be protected.”
Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in Australia, affecting about 30,000 Australians every year and over 7500 in Victoria.
