MEDIA RELEASE: Defibrillators are here.

Lifesaving defibrillators for Chermside

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman is putting in three life saving defibrillators at Chermside in case people have heart attacks.

Marchant Ward Councillor Fiona King said the units cost about $3600 each and would be mounted in busy public places, and areas where there was a risk of people having heart arrhythmia or irregular heart beats.

She said the Lord Mayor was rolling out a total of 20 defibrillators across the city.

Cr King said the Lord Mayor was funding the scheme after the Federal Government withdrew its financial backing of defibrillators last year, despite the machines saving lives.

“Defibrillators have saved 14 lives in other states in recent years and even if they save just one life in Brisbane I believe they will be worth the money,” Cr King said.

“Council is funding 20 of these units in areas such as CBD bus stations, the Queen Street Mall, the King George Square Busway and swimming pools and golf clubs.

“They have step by step verbal instructions and will not work unless the machine detects an abnormal heart beat.

“These machines have already saved a life already in a Melbourne shopping centre, and also at Sydney Airport.”

Cr King said the three Chermside defibrillators had already been installed and were located:

• Chermside Swimming Pool – 375 Hamilton Rd, Chermside
• Chermside Library – 375 Hamilton Rd, Chermside
• North Regional Business Centre – 960 Gympie Rd, Chermside

Cr King said training would be offered to people that worked near the machines such as bus station masters, gym instructors, café workers and pool attendants.

She said experts claimed that survival chances dropped by 10 per cent for each minute a person did not receive CPR and defibrillation after a heart attack.

There are 330 defibrillators installed across Australia, with 14 lives saved since their national rollout in 2005. About 20,000 people die each year from cardiac arrhythmias.

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