Redgate Beach becomes 10,000th defibrillator location in Western Australia

A surfing hotspot in the South West has become the 10,000th automatic external defibrillator (AED) location in Western Australia.

In a huge milestone for St John WA’s State Defibrillator Network, the wild and picturesque Redgate Beach now has one of these life-saving devices available 24/7.

AEDs are portable devices designed for anyone to treat people experiencing cardiac arrest until emergency services arrive.

With only one in 10 people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, they are key to saving lives.

After St John WA and Margaret River Surf Life Saving decided to work together to address beach safety, it was agreed that a defibrillator should be installed at Redgate Beach.

The beach was identified as a strong contender for a public AED due to its access issues and distance from town.

St John volunteers like Anthea Redding and Don Page help maintain public defibrillators around Margaret River.

“We have a lot of holiday-makers that come down unprepared for our beaches and end up in trouble – particularly at Redgate,” Anthea said.

“This is a beach that’s difficult for us to get to from Margaret River or Augusta, but a lot of people use it and there was no defibrillator nearby.

“It was important to protect our community and put one here.”

The St John Margaret River Sub Centre donated a surplus device to the site while Margaret River Surf Life Saving Club provided the secure cabinet for it.

“The South West has some dangerous coastline and if someone gets into trouble here there’s now an AED to help them,” Margaret River Surf Life Saving volunteer, Jenine O’Brien, said.

“It’s been great to work together with St John WA to make this happen as we’re all volunteers and need to help each other to keep the community safe.”

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) approved and installed the defibrillator at the beach’s carpark.

“All sorts of issues can happen in a national park – especially with hikers and surfers,” Rusty Rouse, DBCA National Park Ranger, said.

“Redgate is a busy recreation site and visitor safety is a priority. This AED is a positive addition and compliments existing safety measures including the BEN sign and risk signage.”

Anyone can use an AED and specialist training is not required.

Western Australia’s public defibrillator network has doubled in the past five years with 12,000 AEDs found across 10,000 locations.

Find your nearest automated external defibrillator location via the St John WA First Responder app or search the St John WA AED map.