New defibrillators at City venues up survival odds
Working in collaboration with St John WA, the City of South Perth has installed 10 defibrillators throughout City facilities, including four 24-hour accessible units.
The new defibrillators were facilitated via St John WA’s First Responder program, a service that aims to get defibrillators to cardiac arrest victims in the vital minutes before an ambulance arrives.
Defibrillators located at Manning Community Centre, Collier Park Golf Course, Collins Street Centre and the John McGrath Pavilion at Ernest Johnson Reserve are mounted to the exterior of the buildings. They are accessible to the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by PIN code that is provided by calling “000” when needed.
These units compliment two defibrillators already installed at the Manning and South Perth Senior Citizens Centres. In addition, the City holds two portable units for City functions and events.
According to St John WA, the chance of survival during a cardiac arrest drops by 10 per cent for every minute that passes, and the average ambulance response time in the Perth metropolitan area is nine minutes.
“The new defibrillators will ensure people suffering a cardiac arrest can get immediate help while an ambulance is on the way,” a St John WA spokesperson said.
“The best thing about these devices is they can be operated by anyone with the machine’s voice commands providing clear instructions to the user.
“By providing public access to defibrillators located in the community, St John is helping these communities to save more lives. Simply put, the more people who are willing and able to respond in an emergency, the more lives are potentially saved.”
City of South Perth Mayor Sue Doherty said the new defibrillators were a key public asset that would prove indispensable in the case of an emergency.
“Time is of the essence during an emergency, and having defibrillators on-hand in locations in the City of South Perth could be the difference between life and death,” Mayor Doherty said.
“A range of different social groups and members of the public use the City’s facilities every day, so this initiative has the potential to reach all corners of the community – the City is proud to have worked with St John WA in putting it in place.”
| Facility | Location |
| South Perth Library and Community Hall Cnr Sandgate St and South Tce, South Perth |
In the hallway between the two facilities, which is accessible to users of either facility, outside the toilets. |
| Collier Park Golf Course Hayman Rd, Como |
On external wall of workshop. Key pad locked, code available from ‘000’ operator. |
| George Burnett Leisure Centre Manning Rd, Karawara |
In the main foyer at the far end facing the main entrance. |
| Manning Library 2 Conochie Cres, Manning |
On the external wall outside the entrance to the library, near the bike racks. Key pad locked, code available from ‘000’ operator. |
| Collier Park Village 16 Morrison St, Como |
In the hallway near reception. |
| John McGrath Pavilion, Ernest Johnson Reserve 97 Hensman St, South Perth |
On the external wall near the main entrance facing the playing fields. Key pad locked, code available from ‘000’ operator. |
| Collins Street Centre Cnr Collins St and Shaftsbury St, South Perth |
On the external wall near the main entrance facing the car park. Key pad locked, code available from ‘000’ operator. |
| South Perth Senior Citizens 53 Coode St, South Perth |
Inside the centre, accessible to staff. |
| Manning Senior Citizens 3 Downey Drv, Manning |
Inside the centre, accessible to staff. |
| City of South Perth Waste Services and Animal Care Facility Cnr Hayman Rd and Thelma St, Como |
Inside the Waste Services building, accessible to City of South Perth staff. |
| City of South Perth Operations Centre Cnr Hayman Rd and Thelma St, Como |
Inside the Operations Centre, accessible to City of South Perth staff. |
| South Perth Civic Centre Cnr Sandgate St and South Tce, South Perth |
Inside the Civic Centre, accessible to City of South Perth staff. |
Each defibrillator has been registered with St John Ambulance and appear on the St John Ambulance First Responder App. First Responder is a free app and available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. You can find out more about how to use the app in the First Aid Responder App Guide.
St John Ambulance, General Manager of First Aid Services, Aaron Harding and Mayor Sue Doherty pictured with one of the City's new 24/7 accessible defibrillators at John McGrath Pavilion in South Perth.
Media contact
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- Email media@southperth.wa.gov.au
