This AED defib was barely installed when a crisis called it into use

Senior Constable Wayne Birthisel took possession of the defibrillator on December 9. Donated by Pittong-based Imerys Minerals Australia as a gesture of community goodwill, Constable Birthisel installed the device the day after receiving it from Imerys company representative Neil Parks.

It was, he says, the best four bolts he's ever driven into a wall in his life.

Within three days of installation, on December 13, the defibrillator was used to save the life of a Linton resident, a woman who lives across the road from the police station. She had suffered a myocardial infarction - a heart attack.

Constable Birthisel says the woman's family and local shopkeeper Karl, who had been told of the new unit's installation, raced to the police station to get it.

"Instead of wasting time going to the fire station to get one out of a locked truck, they were able to access one almost immediately across the road,' Constable Birthisel told The Courier

"And fortunately, it worked perfectly. When I heard about what had happened, it did sound as though she wasn't too good, but because the defibrillator was ready and available, she's now in hospital getting a pacemaker fitted, and she should be home soon.

"The woman's family were using the AED, and the local shopkeeper was administering the compressions."

After the incident, Ambulance Victoria came to the police station to inspect the defibrillator and download the usage data for their reports.

"They said it was textbook stuff; they could not have asked for a better result," Constable Birthisel said.

"It's saved someone's life. Every minute you don't have a defibrillator, your chances of survival drop by 10 per cent. You know, it was someone's grandma who had the heart attack, her grandkids were there, and now they still have their grandma for Christmas. It's brilliant."