ST JOHN NT
NEWSROOM

This Restart a Heart Day (16 October), St John NT is reminding Territorians that access to the right equipment saves lives, joining the national call for Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to become as common place as fire extinguishers in the community.

Out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest impacts 26,000 plus Australians per annum, with the early minutes crucial. A shock from a defibrillator by a bystander can almost triple survivability.

Chris Trotter recently survived a sudden cardiac arrest due to the brave actions of a group of bystanders and St John Volunteers at this year’s NT City2Surf in Darwin.

The immediacy at which CPR was commenced and the defibrillator administered saved his life.

Chris, who is a first aid trainer and has dedicated more than three decades to caring for the community, was on duty as a St John volunteer and on his way to provide aid to another at the event when the episode occurred.

“I would not be here today if it had not been for the actions of the people who came to my aid that day,” Chris said. “I was so lucky I was with people who knew what to do,” he said.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest can impact people of all ages, genders and lifestyles – occurring when the heart suddenly stops pumping and the body is starved of oxygen.

According to Heart Foundation data every year in Australia, around 26,000 people have a Sudden Cardiac Arrest Out of Hospital. Only around 10% of these people will survive. CPR coupled with the use of a defibrillator, increases the survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest to as high as 70%. These are actions almost anyone can undertake with First Aid training, and better access to AEDs.

“We know that early intervention was key in Chris’ case and that having the equipment on hand and people with good quality first aid skills was crucial,” St John NT Director Ambulance Services Andrew Thomas said.  

“Having the skills to commence CPR and knowing how to use or gain access to an AED when someone has a cardiac arrest is vitally important and buys valuable time until help arrives.”

New research released by St John Ambulance Australia, shows that 96% of Australian Adults believe that AEDs are important to have in public locations. St John continues to actively advocate with governments, workplaces and communities, to improve Public Access Defibrillators, but there is still a long way to go.

Restart a Heart Day, held on October 16 is a global initiative to raise awareness and educate the community on the importance of learning CPR and having access to AEDs in the community.

St John NT will hold a community event at the Darwin Waterfront this Saturday (19 October) to promote the vital life-saving skills and the actions workplaces and the greater community can take to ensure they have equipment on hand in case of emergency.

The St John NT Restart a Heart Community Day will be held at the Darwin Waterfront on Saturday, 19 October from 9am to 12pm.

The day will include an AED treasure hunt with some great giveaways and prizes on offer, a CPR competition between Emergency Services First Responders along with demonstrations by St John NT trainers. For more information visit our Facebook page here