THE VALLA Beach Community Resilience Team (VBCRT) was established eighteen months ago following an initiative by the Red Cross to prepare vulnerable communities in the event of flood or fire.

Last year, information leaflets were distributed to every residence in Valla Beach to help them prepare for such an event.

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This year the VBCRT have identified a need for 24-hour accessible defibrillators (AED’s) to be within ten minutes’ reach of any household as with every minute that passes during a cardiac arrest, the chance of survival is lessened.

The community’s aim is to purchase three units and to relocate an existing two so that they are available to everyone.

The proposed locations are the RFS shed, Anderson Park and Lions Park with relocations in the tourist park and the Beach House café.

An AED is a portable device that can be used to shock the heart back to a normal rhythm and will instruct the user on a step-by-step basis.

It can be used on adults and adapted to children with the provision of smaller pads.

Once they are installed, there will be free training available for anyone who would like to learn to use the devices.

To achieve this, the team has joined “the community defib project”, a NSW-based charity that purchases, installs, maintains and monitors the equipment.

This organisation is made up of paramedics, doctors and sponsors to support at-risk communities and establish a network of AEDs.

The resilience team is also in partnership with the Lions Club of Valla Beach, the Valla Beach Tavern and the Valla Beach Tourist Park.

To fund this project, there’s a need to raise $10,000 and VBCRT has been contacting local businesses for sponsorship as well as private donors.

There is currently a raffle in progress but the other main fundraiser will be an Afternoon Soiree held on 28 August on the decks of a private home.

Live music and finger food is included and the raffle will be drawn.

For more information about the Valla Beach Community Defib project email julieanncollins59@gmail.com

By Karen GRIBBIN