Rotarians are people of action alright! Kerry Packer started it all, when in 1990 he financed the purchase of Defbrillators for all the NSW Ambulances, following his life being saved by just such a device. Recently, our club bought a Defibrillator which is now installed at our Project Shed. But how to use it? What do you actually do if somebody collapses in a heap and stops breathing, stops responding?
So, last Saturday, some 15 members and Associates underwent First Aid and Defibrillator training, provided by Cardiacsafe, the supplier of the device. We learned not only the principles of First Aid, but also how to deploy the Defibrillator. Let's hope we'll never need to use it, but as the frequently quoted saying goes: Hope is not a strategy!.jpg)
By the way, did you know that the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest rises from 9% to approximately 75% if a Defibrillator is deployed within minutes? And, by the way, cardiac arrests don't just happen to senior people. It could just as easily happen to a competitor in a school footy game (or his dad getting over excited on the sidelines... ☺).
Perhaps it's time for all of use to have a bit of a refresher on First Aid? The Australian Resuscitation Council has lots of information, guide lines and flow charts to assist. jump to their website which has lots and lots of very practical and easy to follow stuff on the subject: https://resus.org.au/ And don't forget, the owner of Cardiacsafe, Tristan Hardwick, will speak at our club on 15th May.