Tea Gardens Slipway receives new outdoor defibrillator Myall Coast Myall Coast - popup ad Myall Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - October 25, 2023October 25, 2023 The yellow ‘Heart of the Nation’ sign indicates the presence of the new defibrillator to passing pedestrians. A LIFE-SAVING Automatic Electronic Defibrillator (AED) has been installed at the Tea Gardens Slipway, providing the public with another vital tool that could make all the difference. The highly visible AED is housed in a weather-proof casing, mounted on the southern external wall of the Slipway’s winch-house, near the pedestrian access gate. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “The management committee of the Tea Gardens Slipway Association recently agreed to a proposed purchase of an AED for the benefit of the slipway users and the TGHN community,” Paul Bendy, Slipway Association President, told NOTA. “We were of the understanding that all of the AEDs in Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens are behind locked doors after hours, so we believed it was in the community interest to locate one where it is accessible 24/7.” This Slipway Association initiative could save lives, ensuring that precious minutes will not be lost attempting to locate another AED anywhere else near that end of Marine Street. According to St John Ambulance, “For every minute that passes without receiving a resuscitation attempt in the form of CPR or an AED shock, a cardiac arrest patient’s survival chances decrease by ten percent, the first five minutes proving the most critical.” While CPR is essential, an AED delivers a measured shock far more efficient at re-balancing the heart’s natural rhythms, increasing the chance of survival by 30 percent. Potential users should be aware, however, that AEDs are not designed to restart a heart that has completely stopped, as only expert medical attention and equipment can deal with that situation. The AED was purchased from Heart of the Nation on the advice of Kelly Pietsch, a local emergency services specialist from Myall Coast First Aid and Safety Training. The AED’s casing contains an access alarm, and the AED itself has an inbuilt tracking device that is continuously monitored, meaning that any legitimate user may receive further help from emergency services, and any wrongful users will be duly caught red-handed. The Slipway has its own active security system, for added surveillance. By Thomas O’KEEFE Members of the Tea Gardens Slipway Association Committee. (L-R) Arne de Neeff, Paul Bendy, Neil Bacon and Kirsten Adam. The new defibrillator is outside, easily accessible, and features an alarm and tracker activated upon opening.
