This Saturday 29^th September is World Heart Day. It’s all about looking after your heart!

This is a global campaign during which individuals, families, communities and governments around the world participate in activities to take charge of their heart health and that of others.

Does your community have anything planned to raise awareness of heart health?

Do you have any ideas of how you can raise awareness of heart health in your community and circle of friends and family?

Why not promise to cook and eat more healthily, to do more exercise and encourage your children to be more active, to say no to smoking or help your loved ones to stop.

Another way is to check if your local community has access to a life saving defibrillator and if not ask why not.

Immediate access to a defibrillator is the only way to survive a Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

At Defib For Life, our mission is to get defibrillators installed in every sporting club, sporting complex, health club, community facility, school, corporate office, government building, and industrial facility.

With over 33,000 people experiencing an out-of-hospital Sudden Cardiac Arrest every year in Australia, of all ages and fitness levels, we believe defibrillators are essential to Australia’s heart health!

Every time we hear of a save the team at Defib for Life are thrilled to hear of it as it means a family member, team mate, or best friend is still here, and now has the capacity to go on living their life because there was a defibrillator nearby.

During the recent Kangaroo Hoppet, an international cross-country ski race held at Falls Creek, a participant suffered a cardiac arrest. This occurred in a remote environment and approximately 5 kilometres from Falls Creek ski resort on the Bogong High Plains.

Early CPR was commenced by another competitor who skied upon the unconscious casualty.  Falls Creek ski patrol responded to the subsequent call out quickly and applied the Cardiac Science G3 A.E.D. The patient regained consciousness and responsiveness.  This occurred within 9 minutes of the initial distress call going out and prior to the arrival of the doctor and paramedics. According to the Falls Creek Ski Patrol team, the early administration of the AED was critical to the successful resuscitation and recovery of the patient.

Falls Creek’s Ski Patrol are the first people on the slopes each morning and the last off the hill at the end of the day. It’s their job to monitor mountain safety and ensure everyone’s alpine experience is as safe as possible.

All Falls Creek Ski Patrollers are trained professionals and are qualified to deal with any emergency that may arise. In this case, their training and the early application of the defibrillator ensured the survival of this skier.

Look out for Falls Creek’s Ski Patrollers in their distinctive red and white jackets as you make your way around the ski fields. They are never far away, and neither is the skiing community’s access to a defibrillator.

Is your community rescue ready?