A CARDIAC incident at Penshurst football training on Thursday night reinforced how vital easily accessible defibrillators can be in country communities.

Ambulance Victoria will put an automatic external defibrillator in an alarmed case at Millbrook’s Country Fire Authority station on Friday afternoon. The device will be available to any one in the community, or visiting, if there is a case of cardiac arrest. 

The device will be linked with smart phone app GoodSAM, helping to alert into registered responders in the area, like paramedics, who can assist in cardiac emergencies.

In Penshurst, teammates and an off-duty nurse used a defibrillator to revive the 26-year-old Mininera league footballer in the 20 minutes it took for an ambulance to arrive.

Ballan’s Ambulance Victoria acting team manager Dylan Birthisel said a public defibrillator saved a life in Ballarat in the past fortnight and those in more isolated communities, like Millbrook, could make a great difference before ambulance arrival.

At least 80 people were treated with public defibrillators across the state in 2016/17.

A public defibrillator will also be made available in central Ballan, at a location to be confirmed.

Both defibrillators have been purchased for the communities by Ballan Ambulance Auxiliary in a bid to improve survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

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