A matter of the heart: Defibs and where to find them

Two of the eight defibrillators in Rochester itself are publicly accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week; the Ambulance Auxiliary located at Major’s SUPA IGA on 10-20 Gillies St, and at Rochester Community Garden and Courthouse located at 25 Moore St.

The other six are located at Rochester Community House, the Men’s Shed, Goulburn Murray Water, Polycon Engineering, REDHS and Rochester Bowls Club.

The Register My AED website is an important tool by Ambulance Victoria that allows anyone to see where their closest defibrillator is, as well as the hours it is accessible.

Triple zero operators use it to direct first responders to a nearby defibrillator, but anyone can access it anytime, anywhere in the state. Any AEDs that are not listed on the site are not known by Ambulance Victoria.

“If it’s not registered, we may be sending someone right past an AED to try and get the only one that’s registered,” Ms Kelly said.

“So you might be going two blocks to get one instead of one that’s right on-site.”

When opened, the defibrillator provides clear, step-by-step written and verbal instructions. A defibrillator will not send out an electric current unless it detects a particular rhythm.

“Anybody can use an AED,” Ms Kelly said.

“They’re very simple to use ... they’ll tell you exactly what to do at each step and generally, you’ll also have the support of the call-taker too.

“They won’t shock if it’s not necessary to shock, so you can’t put one on someone who’s awake or has a heartbeat.

“They’re completely safe.”

The GoodSAM app alerts registered responders in an emergency so they can quickly arrive and provide CPR.

No formal training or qualifications are needed to be GoodSAM responders.

“GoodSAM works with triple zero as well,” Ms Kelly said.

“It connects Victorians in cardiac arrest with members of the community who are willing to do CPR in the minutes before a paramedic arrives.

“When someone calls triple zero and states that someone is in cardiac arrest, the GoodSAM app is activated, so it will send a community member over to help assist,

“It also directs them to the AEDs as well, so it’s linked into that (Register My AED) program so they can grab one on the way to help.”

In Campaspe Shire, 83 users were recorded in the month of May. Residents should register on the GoodSAM website or download the app.

Every day, about 20 Victorians have a cardiac arrest, but only one survives. Early intervention by bystanders doubles the survival chance.

“Every minute that we delay CPR and the use of an AED, the survival of that person drops by 10 per cent,” Ms Kelly said.

“So while we’re waiting for a paramedic to arrive, those critical minutes can be filled in by bystanders.”

To build confidence in using AEDs or performing CPR, Ms Kelly recommends first aid training or joining an Ambulance Victoria ‘Call, Push, Shock’ session for community groups.

The Rochester Sports Museum also has the Shane Warne Legacy Heart Test available to use Wednesday to Sunday, from 10am to 4pm, until Friday, July 26, so heart problems can be detected early.

Full list of nearby defibrillators:

If you know of another defibrillator in town that is not listed, it should be registered with the Ambulance Victoria website. Some of these locations also do not have their accessible hours listed, so should be updated accordingly.