Supporters visit Denman Prospect’s newly installed automatic external defibrillator. Photo: Supplied.
In an emergency, a defibrillator could be your best friend.
Thanks to individuals and businesses in Denman Prospect, the ACT’s second 24/7 publicly available automatic external defibrillator (AED) has now been installed – and it is also the Territory’s first to be put in a very public place.
The new AED has been installed in Denman Village Park on Felstead Vista, opposite the Denman Village shops.
The first publicly available AED was installed outside the Bendigo Bank office in Deakin last October.
SERVICE ONE Mutual says an AED is needed within five minutes of a cardiac arrest episode, and someone having a cardiac arrest needs such a device before an ambulance arrives.
It says, on average, an ambulance arrives within 10 minutes.
“It is important to have them accessible 24/7 and unlocked,” SERVICE ONE’s CEO Ivan Slavich said.
“They should be highly visible and easy to get to, and people should know of their existence.”
He said the AED in Deakin has not been used yet.
“We hope it never has to be used, but if necessary, it is there,” he said.
The automatic external defibrillator was installed opposite the Denman Village shops. Photo: Supplied.
The initiative to install public AEDs in Canberra is a partnership between SERVICE ONE and St Johns ACT and is sponsored by Community Bank Canberra and Regions (Bendigo Bank), Capital Chemist and Capital Estate Developments.
So far, participants and businesses in Denman Prospect have raised $5814 for the project. As every $2500 pay for an AED, a second defibrillator will be installed in Denman Prospect.
“SERVICE ONE Mutual Ltd will work with St John Ambulance ACT, Capital Estate Developments and the ACT Government to determine a location,” Mr Slavich said.
“It will be positioned away from the first one so that residents of Denman Prospect will have maximum opportunity to get to an AED within five minutes.”
The AEDs have been installed as part of the StreatBeat program, which aims to install the devices across Australia.
“In total, through StreetBeat, $73,000 has been raised since November 2024,” SERVICE ONE says.
“This equates to 26 fully-funded AEDs within the Canberra region.
“Additional AEDs will be rolled out over the next six to eight months.”
To learn more about the StreetBeat program or to sign up to help fundraise, visit StreetBeat.
To find your closest AED, use St John Ambulance’s First Responder app.
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