Save lives in your own workplace

01 Apr 2007

Ambulance Victoria First Aid (AFVA), the joint first aid service of Rural Ambulance Victoria and Metropolitan Ambulance Service, is giving businesses the ability to save lives in their own workplace with the introduction of the Ambulance Heart Attack Pack consisting of a quality defibrillator and first aid training for staff.

“Each year the Victorian Ambulance Service attends over 4,600 cardiac arrests but, sadly, fewer than 5% survive,” said Rural Ambulance Victoria AVFA Business Unit Manager Peter Holyoake.

“Although our paramedics are highly trained medical practitioners and carry the latest equipment on board they cannot always get to the patient in time to make a difference.

“A person’s best chance of surviving is to receive a shock from a defibrillator within the first 5 minutes of collapsing.

“The new Ambulance Heart Attack Pack is designed to ensure an organisation’s employees are prepared should a staff member, or a customer or client, suffer sudden cardiac arrest,” said Mr Holyoake.

Until now defibrillators have not been widely available to the public, however the modern day Automatic First Aid Defibrillator included in the Heart Attack Pack has been designed to be used by the ordinary person without First Aid training and features clear, user-friendly voice instructions that talk through every step of the defibrillation and CPR process.

“There is absolutely no risk of harming the patient through following the defibrillator voice instructions, but every chance of improving their survival rate,” said Mr Holyoake.

“It could mean the difference between life and death.”

For a brochure, a free personal consultation in your workplace or any other information on the Ambulance Heart Attack Pack contact Ambulance Victoria First Aid on 1800 248 859.

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