This October, Ambulance Victoria wants to remind all Victorians the three potentially lifesaving steps when someone is under cardiac arrest — ‘Call, Push, Shock’.
Around 21 Victorians suffer a cardiac arrest every day, but only one in 10 survive, and AV’s Shocktober campaign wants everyone to know what to do to help save a life.
Greater Shepparton senior team manager at Ambulance Victoria Des Cummins wants to encourage all Victorians to learn CPR.
“You don’t have to be a paramedic, anyone can do it,” he said.
“Those first few minutes before paramedics (arrive) are crucial.”
For every minute CPR is delayed, a person’s chance of survival decreases by 10 per cent.
Bystander intervention has the biggest impact on improving someone’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.
For one Kialla family, knowing how to perform CPR became crucial when father David Green suffered a cardiac arrest in his home.
His daughter Amy help saved his life.
A registered nurse, she wasted no time in calling 000 when her father collapsed in front of her, and started CPR.
“I just went into work mode and did whatever I could to give him the best chance of survival,” she said.
She performed CPR on her father for 10 minutes before first responders arrived and used an AED.
“If Amy wasn’t here and didn’t have the skills, I wouldn’t be alive today,” Mr Green said.
Knowing how to perform hands-on CPR is a crucial skill, and one that can be learned easily. Knowing how to perform CPR can help save a life.
In 2018, AV launched the GoodSAM app in Victoria. The free app alerts registered responders when someone nearby is in cardiac arrest.
The responders can perform CPR, and in some instances can also apply an Automated External Defibrillator before emergency services arrive.
Anyone can sign up to be a GoodSAM responder, and already 103 people in the Greater Shepparton area are signed up and ready to help the community when it calls.
“You don’t need a medical background to sign up,” Mr Cummins said.
“We want more Victorians to stand up for the community and sign up for GoodSAM.”
Across Victoria, there are over 16,000 people signed up as a GoodSAM responder, and anyone over the age of 18 can sign up — you just need to be willing to perform chest-only compressions and use an AED if one is available.
When a cardiac arrest emergency call is made to 000, the GoodSAM app will alert up to three responders in the area to the incident, and will provide them with the patient’s location as well as the closest accessible AEDs.
Emergency services will be sent out at the same time, so responders know they won’t be alone attending these events.
“We need hands on chest as soon as possible,” Mr Cummins said.
“It helps when we get there that we have an extra pair of hands.”
Businesses, shop owners and sports clubs are encouraged to ensure their AEDs are registered with the AV website and made publicly accessible, so 000 call takers can direct first responders and GoodSAM responders to them in an emergency.
Mr Cummins wants to encourage the Shepparton community to hear the call and help out the community, and sign up to be a GoodSAM responder.
“The people of Shepparton band together ... the community stands up to help their neighbours,” he said.
You can become a GoodSAM responder by downloading the app.
For more information on Shocktober, the GoodSAM app and how to perform CPR and use an AED, visit ambulance.vic.gov.au/shocktober
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