Members of the strata community have teamed up with St John Ambulance to push for more defibrillators in strata buildings. Photos: St John Ambulance ACT.
With deaths by cardiac arrest on the rise, St John Ambulance ACT and Strata Community Association (SCA) have joined forces to promote the installation of life-saving devices to those living in strata title buildings.
Due to their configuration, there is a strong case for strata buildings, particularly large multi-storey sites, to have at least one automated external defibrillator (AED) installed, according to St John ACT CEO Martin Fisk.
“If you call an ambulance to one of those buildings, by the time they arrive at the address, get in the front door, up the lift and into the unit, the chances are it could be too late,” he said.
“A defibrillator in each building, or preferably on each floor, could significantly increase a person’s chance of survival and keep them alive until the ambulance gets there to take them to a hospital.”
It comes as deadly cardiac events increase, with 70 Australians suffering cardiac arrest out of hospital every day. Only 12 per cent of those treated by an ambulance survive.
One reason for this confronting statistic is that a person’s survival outlook plummets 10 per cent for every minute they are in cardiac arrest without CPR or an AED shock. One US report showed a person’s chances of survival increased up to 74 per cent when a defibrillator was available.
Mr Fisk said if the impetus to look after our neighbours wasn’t motivation enough, in strata scenarios, the economics was a no-brainer.
“The average defibrillator might cost you about $2500. In a cost-of-living crisis, that’s no small amount, but if that cost is split among 20 to 30 unit holders, it’s almost negligible,” he said. “With an ageing population, we’re getting more and more people at risk. And if your defibrillator saves even one of your family members or neighbours in a cardiac event, it has well and truly paid for itself.”
Vantage Strata and SCA ACT president Chris Miller, LJ Hooker Strata CEO and managing director Tim Maly, Bright & Duggan Territory manager Tristan Veurink and Signature Strata business manager Holly Gullett are given an AED demonstration by a St John Ambulance expert.
SCA Australasia chief executive officer Alisha Fisher said while there were no strata legislation hurdles to having defibrillators installed in strata buildings, strata committees and body corporates would need to consider the placement of any AEDs carefully.
“In a strata complex with communal spaces, you want to ensure proper access in the event of an emergency but also take measures to ensure it poses no risk to any children who might be around,” she said.
“When you consider the ageing communities we have living in strata buildings, you can see it’s a worthwhile thing, and we’re 100 per cent supportive of it.”
The St John Ambulance defibrillators come with a comprehensive online course and their devices also talk users through the process.
Some models include “CPR feedback”, which monitors the rate and depth of the compressions being given and provides real-time feedback to people providing the life-saving first aid.
Defibrillators require periodic maintenance involving a change of pads and batteries, on average every two to four years, to ensure the device remains ready for use. St John Ambulance ACT proactively reaches out to owners with reminders when these become due.
“We call it being ‘rescue ready’, and this is where your strata or building manager comes in,” Mr Fisk said. “They can play an important role in ensuring your AED is regularly checked and maintained, and we are happy to work with them.
“We’re glad to be in partnership with the SCA to be able to provide that service on behalf of body corporates, to provide this life-saving measure.”
For more information or to purchase a lifesaving AED today, visit St John Ambulance ACT.
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