Tuesday, 17 October 2017

West Gippsland Adult Riding Club is set to take its game up a notch when it comes to dealing with an emergency on and off the park with a new defibrillator and training package from the Andrews Labor Government.

Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing, today announced that West Gippsland Adult Riding Club will receive a package from the Defibrillators for Sporting Clubs and Facilities Program.

The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with the roll out of 1,000 life-saving defibrillators to clubs and facilities Victoria.

Our roll out has been a huge success – delivering almost 900 defibrillators to clubs. That means there are still over 100 defibrillators and training packages still up for grabs.

In a life threatening sudden cardiac arrest – every second counts, and bystanders play a critical role.

Without a defibrillator close by, the survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest is somewhere between two and five per cent. When a defibrillator is used within the first few minutes, the rate of survival can rise to 70 per cent.

The great news is that more bystanders than ever are stepping in to save lives. The use of public defibrillators for cardiac arrests has soared four-fold from 2.8 per cent in 2006/07 to 11 per cent in 2015/16.

The new devices will appear on Ambulance Victoria’s database, so that triple zero operators will be able to direct callers to the new devices available when emergency strikes.

For more information about the Defibrillators for Sporting Clubs and Facilities Program or how to apply online for future rounds, visit www.sport.vic.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing:

“We here in Gippsland are proud of clubs like West Gippsland Adult Riding Club and their efforts to make their environment more safe and enjoyable for all.”

“This defibrillator package will make sure West Gippsland Adult Riding Club has the right equipment and training in case an emergency strikes.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Sport John Eren:

“My cardiac arrest changed my life. I know only too well just how important it is to have a defibrillator nearby.”

Quote attributable to St John Ambulance Victoria CEO Gordon Botwright:

“We believe defibs should be a standard piece of medical equipment at all sporting clubs to protect the players, volunteers and supporters. We understand that clubs struggle to raise the funds to purchase a defib which is why programs such as this are vital for the community.”