Monash University Hockey Club will be better prepared to manage a medical emergency after receiving a defibrillator from CFA in partnership with St John Ambulance Victoria.
CEOs from St John and CFA handed over a defibrillator to Monash Hockey Club President and players.
The life-saving gift from the trusted organisations is a move to strengthen community resilience and lessen the number of lives lost to sudden cardiac arrest in the community.
A 2017 Monash City Council Report revealed that 27.1 per cent of local residents reported high blood pressure and 5.8 per cent suffered from heart disease, both known risk factors of sudden cardiac arrest.
St John Ambulance Victoria CEO Gordon Botwright said that the health emergency doesn’t discriminate against age, gender or background.
“Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, so it’s important that these devices are readily available to the public,” he said. “The more readily available they become, the more likely survival will be when it comes to the often devastating health emergency.
“If the person receives defibrillation within the first few minutes their chances are significantly strengthened from just 5 per cent without a defib to more than 70 per cent.”
CFA Chief Executive Officer Paul Smith said the organisation is proud to be partnering with St John Ambulance Victoria in helping to ensure community groups like the Monash Hockey Club have access to defibrillators.
“The closest defibrillator to the Monash Hockey Club is 150 metres away in a building that is regularly closed. In the 10 minutes it takes to retrieve that defibrillator lives can be lost,” said Mr Smith.
“Defibrillators play an important role in the preservation of life, which is a core aspect of CFA’s mission.”
St John Ambulance Victoria and CFA share a vision of strengthening community resilience and together hope to protect and save more lives.