ST JOHN NT
NEWSROOM

Over 800 AEDs are now available for use across the Territory, but St John NT says more of these devices will help save lives if more businesses and community organisations install them.

“Each year, over 30,000 Australians suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Tragically, only 1 in 10 survive,” St John NT CEO Judith Barker said.

“Learning CPR and knowing where to find and how to use an AED can mean the difference between life and death. It’s critical that more businesses get behind installing one of these lifesaving devices so that they are readily available across all locations in the NT.”

On 30 November 2019, 61-year-old Mr Peter Brady experienced a sudden cardiac arrest without warning at the Darwin Waterfront. Luckily for him several off-duty nurses and the Waterfront lifeguards quickly responded to his condition and used an AED. Mr Brady credits his life to the early defibrillation. Had the off-duty nurses been unable to locate an AED, Mr Brady would have faced a different fate.

Restart a Heart Day, a global initiative designed to raise awareness and educate the public on the importance of learning CPR and having access to AEDs, will be held on this Friday, 16 October.

To recognise this day, St John NT first aid trainers, volunteers, and paramedics are offering free CPR and AED demonstrations at Casuarina Square, Coolalinga Central, and the Yeperenye Shopping Centre in Alice Springs from 11am-2pm.

“By creating awareness of these skills and teaching our community how to properly react in an emergency, we are building a more resilient Territory,” Ms Barker said.

Territorians can now quickly locate an AED in an emergency, greatly improving the chances of survival for cardiac arrest patients, through the free St John First Responder mobile app.

The life-saving app locates nearby AEDs in the Territory at the push of a button and uses GPS-assisted information to help in an emergency situation. The app can be used to call Triple Zero (000), provide the precise location of the call to the EMD, locate the nearest hospital, access crucial first aid information, and display the location of all nearby AEDs.

St John NT is working in collaboration with the Council of Ambulance Authorities (CAA) to raise awareness of Restart a Heart Day and the importance of CPR and AED skills. Together, they will also be hosting a virtual Restart a Heart Day event with tips and survivor stories. More information can be found at the Restart a Heart website.