Know the places to look and get access
Having quick access to an Automated External Defibrillator [AED] and knowing how to use it is crucial during sudden cardiac arrest emergencies, where every moment counts.
Figures show that around 20,000 Aussies have sudden heart attacks every year and that having defibs available close by and the knowledge to use them properly can improve the survival rate.
So, to give the Highlands community more access to life-saving defibs Wingecarribee council has begun distributing AEDs to popular locations and venues around town.
New defibrillators have now been fitted outside community halls all around the Southern Highlands including:
- Hill Top Community Centre
- Exeter Village Hall
- Moss Vale Senior Citizens Hall
- Welby Community Centre
- New Berrima Community Centre
- East Bowral Community Centre
- Sutton Forest Hall
Other locations where defibs were added this year include:
- Bowral Senior Citizen Centre
- Renwick Community Centre
- Loseby Park Community Centre
- Mittagong Community Centre
The council are expected to roll out the third and last stage this year with locations in:
- Mittagong Memorial Hall
- Wingello Mechanics Institute
- Yerrinbool Community Hall.
Other known locations where you can find AEDs:
- Berrima
- Berrima Post Office
- Bowral
- Bowral Hospital
- Capital Chemist Bowral
- Argyle Housing Office – 32-36 Wingecarribee street
- Bundanoon
- Soldiers Memorial Hall Bundanoon
- Exeter
- Exeter General Store Entrance
- Mittagong
- Outside Mittagong RSL Club
- Highlands Golf Club
- Moss Vale
- IGA Moss Vale
- UOW Southern Highlands Campus- Building 360 – G08 – Common Room
- Effect Exercise Physiology
- Robertson
- Outside Robertson Doctor
- Outside CTC Robertson
- Robertson School of Arts
- Robertson Bowling Club
- Robertson Bowling Club
- Robertson Supermarket (The Friendly Grocer)
- Welby
- Welby Hockey Fields
- Wingello
- Outside Wingello Village Store
- Wingello railway (attached to the brick railway building)
AED Awareness
Using a defibrillator is meant to be a straightforward process and they are designed with clear instructions and a user-friendly process, even if you don’t have medical training.
If you would like to gain more understanding on how to use an AED then there are first aid courses available in the Highlands that include AED training that you can sign up to.
This FAQ from St Johns NSW is also a great resource for any questions you may have.
Registering Your AED
If you are a local business or community venue with an AED onsite then you can register it through the GoodSAM app.
GoodSAM works hand in hand with the NSW Ambulance Triple Zero (000) dispatch system, linking volunteers with patients during those moments following a cardiac arrest until paramedics are on the scene.
And as a local, if you’re willing and capable of performing CPR and are 18 years or older, you can register to receive notifications when someone nearby needs assistance as well.
The GoodSAM app also shows any nearby defibrillators that are publicly accessible and registered with them, allowing you to use them if you’re comfortable doing so.
Last year, a global community of 1.5 million GoodSAM volunteers played a huge role in saving the lives of cardiac arrest patients, with an average of one life saved every three minutes- incredible!!!!
To learn more about the GoodSAM app head here.
And if you would like to add your AED to the list we have above, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and we can get it included. The more we know the better we can do, right?