By Bonny Burrows
They hope they’ll never have to use it, but Nar Nar Goon residents now have access to a community defibrillator.
Nar Nar Goon is the final of the shire’s railway towns to receive the vital piece of medical equipment, thanks to funding from the Cardinia Shire Council’s Community Wellbeing Support Grants Program and the Bunyip and District Community Bendigo Bank.
The defib, which delivers a dose of electric current to the heart in the instance of a cardiac arrest, is now hanging outside the Nar Nar Goon Fire Station and is accessible in an emergency situation 24 hours a day.
Nar Nar Goon Fire Brigade Captain Geoff Bramley said its purchase and installation was thanks to the “great effort” of the town’s progress association’s secretary, Rose Biddell.
He said it would make a big difference in emergency situations.
“If someone goes into cardiac arrest they can be helped more quickly, lives can be saved,” Mr Bramley said.
“If used within five minutes, there is a 50 per cent chance of survival.
“We hope we never have to use it, but if we do it will improve the outcome of the patient.”
Community training sessions will be held by Ambulance Victoria in the new year to educate residents on how to properly use the lifesaving equipment.
The captain said he’d like to see as many residents and businesses attend as possible, so everyone had an understanding of what to do in a medical emergency.
