Several years ago now, the Federal Government launched a Caravan Park Defibrillator Subsidy Program for Caravan Parks to encourage operators to install the devices to help save the lives of anyone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest.
While there is no way of knowing how effective the scheme may have been, it is certainly true that many parks now have defibrillators … and they are saving lives.
One of those was a police officer who collapsed near a café outside a beachfront caravan park in Perth.
The 41-year-old victim, who went into cardiac arrest behind a vehicle in the car park at Burns Beach in Perth’s north, was lucky that he was spotted and helped by a former paramedic, and other passersby with first aid experience, happened to be in the vicinity.
St John WA ambulance officers praised the actions of the bystanders. PIC: WA Government
While they carried out chest compressions, café manager Tara – acting on advice from the triple-zero dispatcher – rushed to the nearby caravan park to fetch an automated external defibrillator.
“I must have looked like a mad woman, because I just absolutely bolted up the road and then through the café,” Tara said. “It felt like a lifetime, but I’ve honestly never run that quick in my life.”
The victim was given two shocks with the defibrillator, in between compressions, and when a St John WA ambulance arrived, the paramedics assessed that the bystanders’ resuscitation efforts had given the Police Officer a chance of survival.
“They’d done the hard work for us. We just took over to establish an airway and get some air flow happening, along with some advanced life support procedures,” Ambulance Paramedic Bridgette said. “And then he was back with a pulse and some of his own effort of breathing after about 10 minutes.”
The Police Officer was taken to hospital, and is now recuperating at home and hoping to return to work soon.
The ambulance officers said the episode was one of those unfortunately rare occasions when a person survives what is known as an OHCA – out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
“We had people who knew how to do CPR, how to do it effectively and that a defib was available for them to get,” Ambulance Paramedic Zoe said. “And they knew what to do and how to use it.”
Over 430,000 Australians have had a heart attack at some point in their lives with 51 Australians dying each day as a result of heart related issues.
Research shows that if a person is defibrillated within the first minute of collapse, the victim’s chances for survival are close to 90%. For every minute that defibrillation is delayed, survival decreases by 7% to 10%.
When it launched its Caravan Park Defibrillator Subsidy Program for Caravan Parks, the Federal Government said regional caravan parks are often centre to the community and one of the few businesses that is accessible 24h a day 7 days a week in the event of required access to a defib.
It said that across the country there are 1300 caravan parks with 40 sites/cabins or more which represents a footprint to provide a regional network of defibrillators for both community members, park residents and visitors travelling through.
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I had training at work as a first aid officer with it, it talks you through it on how to use it.
I carry a cheap defib under the passenger seat. Will do the job on one patient. Costs $200 per year to keep the battery up to date. If used they replace it.Cellaed.