This post is an appeal seeking donations to purchase a defibrillator for the North Arm Cove community.
At the 17 October NACCAi meeting there was considerable discussion about having a defibrillator located in North Arm Cove for emergency use, and there has been a number of posts on the website since then on the need for one.
These days defibrillators are regarded as essential safety equipment, yet we don’t have one in the Cove!
In the event of a heart attack, a defibrillator could save your life, your partner’s life, your child’s life, or your neighbour’s life.
Defibrillators are automated and easy to use by even untrained people.
A few days ago, a generous North Arm Cove family contacted me, and offered a donation of $300 towards the purchase of a defibrillator for our village.
This offer has been gratefully accepted, and we are using it to launch an appeal for donations from our community to purchase a defibrillator for North Arm Cove.
A suitable defibrillator with a secure cabinet costs about $3,500. It would be located at the Community Centre for easy access.
Three other families have also offered donations totalling $600, so we already have $900 towards our goal of $3,500.
So please, help us save a life, and make a donation towards purchasing a defibrillator for our community. It doesn’t matter how small your donation is, because every dollar counts. But of course, the bigger the donation the better!
NACCAi is facilitating this appeal for the community, so you can make your donation by EFT to the NACCAi account as follows:
BSB: 325 185
Account number: 38609949
Account Name: North Arm Cove Community Association Inc.
Please write “defibrillator donation” in the description if you can.
We will give a full update on progress at the next NACCAi meeting on Saturday 5 December.
Why do we need a defibrillator in the Cove?
In the event of a heart attack, it could take an ambulance from Tea Gardens or Karuah as long as 20 minutes to arrive after triple zero is called. But it may take much longer, such as in bushfire situations, or when roads are flooded, as happened last week.
With a heart attack, time is critical, and the faster a defibrillator is used the better the chances of the life being saved.
A defibrillator in the Cove could be available within minutes.
Would people be trained to use it?
Yes, we plan on organising training in CPR and using a defibrillator for Cove residents.
However, defibrillators are automated and easy to use, and an untrained person can use one by simply following voice and visual prompts. And a defibrillator will not shock a person if it detects a heart beat.
We will also put together guidance material and contact lists for people to get help from a neighbour to go and get the defibrillator whilst they are giving CPR to a patient, if there is no one else in the household to provide immediate help.
So please help us save a life - by making a donation towards a defibrillator for North Arm Cove.
