These five places now have rapid access to lifesaving devices

A device that makes it significantly more likely for someone to survive a heart attack has been rolled out across key locations in the Illawarra thanks to the efforts of a local club and a national charity.

Wests Illawarra in partnership with Heart of the Nation have installed five automated external defibrillators (AEDs), accessible by the public 24/7, to five strategically selected homes, businesses and community hubs in the Illawarra.

Funded by Wests Illawarra’s ClubGRANTS program, the AEDs can be quickly retrieved in the event of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a leading cause of death in Australia and something Heart of the Nation CEO Greg Page knows all too well can strike anytime, anywhere.

At age 48 the original Yellow Wiggle was mid-performance for a Black Summer bushfire relief when SCA struck him down, and he credits his survival to the swift actions of crew members and fans in the audience that night for a quick response using CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED).

“Bystanders restarted my heart. I knew nothing about this before I had my own cardiac arrest, and my wife is a cardiac nurse,” he said.

“If I had been home, I would have been gone. When I woke up and learned I thought, ‘If these devices are so crucial, why aren’t they in more places?’ We need to educate the community about their role in resuscitation and it’s not just CPR. That alone won’t bring someone back.

“The three things we can do to save a life is ‘Call, Push, Shock’ – call triple zero, push by doing CPR and shock using an AED. With only the first two, you’re buying time until the paramedics arrive.”

Greg said rapid access was the most critical component not only of survival, but good neurological outcomes, and having AEDs in the community was key.

“Data out of Victoria tells us if someone can use an AED within the first three to five minutes, survival chances can be as high as 60 to 70 per cent,” he said.

“Having AEDs where people live, work and play is so important. Our goal at Heart of the Nation is to make sure there’s rapid access within one minute to every Australian at all times.

SCA strikes over 26,000 Aussies each year, and only 5 per cent survive. With 80 per cent occurring at home, the ultimate goal is to get an AED within a few minutes of every home in Australia.

AEDs cost anywhere between about $1500 to about $2500.

The Wests Illawarra grants have funded AEDs on Iola Avenue, in Farmborough Heights, Smiths Lane Dairy in Wongawilli, Inflatable World in Warrawong, Mount Kembla Park and Meadows Tennis Club in Fairy Meadow.

Meadows Tennis Club president David King said the presence of an AED at the club granted “peace of mind”.

“We’re so thankful we’ve been able to partner with Wests Illawarra and Heart of Nation to make this possible,” he said.

“We’re making all our members and guests aware that we now have the AED, and it’s quite visible – it’s very yellow and it’s right next to the refrigerated water, so you can’t miss it.

“Of course we’re hoping we won’t need it, but sudden cardiac arrest does happen, and it’s unexpected … Tennis is a sport for all ages and abilities and knowing our members and guests have access to lifesaving measures, gives us peace of mind.”

Access extends beyond Meadows Tennis Club members and guests to the broader community as well.

Wests Illawarra CFO Renata Garnero said this was an important consideration when identifying the most impactful placements.

“We have AEDs at Wests for any emergencies that happen at the club, but what attracted us to Heart of the Nation was the fact that these AEDs get put out in the community and they’re available 24/7. When businesses aren’t open they’re not locked up in a building, so it doesn’t matter what time day or night they’re needed, the community can access them,” she said.

“Our grant round got five out in the community; we’d definitely like to continue working with Heart of the Nation to continue the spread. If one of them saves one life, they’ve paid themselves off a million times over.”