In the 3021 postcode suburbs of St Albans, Kealba, Kings Park, Albanvale, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) claims more lives than that of any other postcode in Victoria.
Many locals in Brimbank suffer from heart issues, making residents more likely than others in greater Melbourne to experience sudden cardiac arrest, with one of the highest rates in the state.
The statistics are frightening. But St John Ambulance is on a mission to make 3021 the safest postcode to have a sudden cardiac arrest.
The Defib in Your Street project, set to save hundreds of lives each year, has now reached an important milestone at mid-way through the one-year project.
The project, operating in the suburbs of St Albans, Kealba, Kings Park, and Albanvale, focuses on deploying defibrillators and providing CPR training to address the alarming rate of sudden cardiac arrest.
Sudden cardiac arrest claims more than 30,000 lives annually in Australia, with survival rates dwindling in recent years.
St John Ambulance reports that out of the more than 7,000 Victorians who suffered a SCA last year, only 4.9 per cent survived.
The Defib in Your Street project aims to raise survival rates by strategically placing defibrillators, ensuring no resident is more than 400 meters away from a defibrillator and trained community members.
One local who has taken up the offer to become a defibrillator host is Kanwaldeep Singh. A decision he made after experiencing his own SCA scare.
“One day [I] suddenly experienced unbearable pain in my chest to the right side while I was at work. Luckily the staff rang Triple-0, then paramedics arrived [and] performed CPR and [I] went for testing in the hospital and found out that I was at dangerous levels of cholesterol,” he said.
“If I was alone at home that day which I was initially thinking because I was not well then, I would have passed away without anyone knowing what had happened to me. Then it flicked into my mind that I should [get] this device and install it outside of my house… so I can save someone’s life.”
St John Ambulance reports SCA’s occur most often at home (79%), meaning it is vital that all community members are ready to assist someone before an ambulance arrives.
This Australia-first program will see some Brimbank suburbs saturated with Australia’s most concentrated number of public defibrillators, and train 5000 residents in CPR.
Beforehand, the suburbs of St Albans, Kealba, Kings Park, and Albanvale did not have access to a single defibrillator that was available all hours of the day or night.
So far, St John Ambulance has trained more than 4,000 local residents in free CPR and have installed 17 defibrillators. As part of the program, St John is providing all residents of Brimbank the opportunity to participate in a free CPR class.
Brimbank residents are encouraged to seize the opportunity and participate in free CPR classes, recognising the critical skills that could one day be used to save a life.
To host a defib or participate in a free CPR class, visit defibinyourstreet.org.au or call 0484 926 027.
