Resilience strengthened as 6000th defibrillator joins Community First Responder network
- St John WA has registered its 6000th defibrillator as part of the Community First Responder program,
- The milestone defibrillator was donated by the St John WA Harvey Sub Centre to the Harvey Church of Christ in the Southwest, for hosting first aid training while the centre was under construction,
- The number of registered locations has increased by 1000 in just under 12 months, a steady increase on previous years.
St John WA has reached a major milestone with its 6000th defibrillator registered on the Community First Responder network.
The 6000th location was registered at Harvey Church of Christ in the South West, joining the list of 1,000 defibrillators to be registered in less than 12 months, a steady increase on previous years. As a thank you for hosting first aid training whilst the St John WA Harvey Sub Centre was under construction, the Church was gifted the defibrillator by the centre, installing it in a 24/7 external cabinet.
Established in 2011, the St John WA Community First Responder program is a free service that aims to get defibrillators to cardiac arrest victims in the vital minutes before an ambulance arrives. Locations of the registered defibrillators are also listed on the St John First Responder app.
While St John WA’s extensive regional footprint stretches from the Kimberley to the Great Southern, the minutes before an ambulance arrives are crucial. Having access to a nearby defibrillator can make all the difference, acting as the single key contributing factor to improving survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest, which sees 33,000 Australians die each year.
Of the 6000 defibrillators in the state, 2,900 have been registered across regional WA, with the defibrillator at Harvey Church of Christ joining this regional figure.
Harvey Church of Christ Pastor Darryn Windolf said joining St John WA’s Community First Responder program was a fantastic step taken in support of their local community.
“It was a pleasure to be registered as the 6000th registered location in WA. Being in a regional town, emergency care isn’t always minutes away, which is why we are so glad to have been gifted this defibrillator,” he said.
“It is a fantastic feeling knowing that we can help protect our local community in the event of an emergency.”
In the last 12 months, 415 24/7 defibrillators were installed across the state that can be accessed by the community at any time.
St John WA Community Manager, Sally Simmonds said she is proud to see so many organisations in the WA community working towards such an important cause.
“Reaching the 6000th defib is an amazing milestone. Through the Community First Responder program, we have saved countless lives across the state, and it has been fantastic to watch it grow into what it is today,” she said.
To register a new or existing defibrillator with the Community First Responder network, businesses can upload the location through St John WA’s First Responder mobile application, or head to the St John WA website.
