We encourage everyone to watch this video and read this article.
Did you know over 30,000 people die from an SCA (Sudden Cardiac Arrest) in Australia every year, parkrun is now on the way to reducing these numbers by providing a Defibrillator at every parkrun event. As a parkrunner you may be aware that over 100 defibrillators have now been delivered to parkrun events around Australia.
Our first aid partner and defibrillator supplier, First Aid Accident & Emergency (FAAE) have supplied parkrun with all our LIFEPAK CR PLUS Defibrillators and we still have another 100 to come.
Scott Whimpey, Director of FAAE, avid park runner and expert first aid educator, is now on a mission to educate you all on the use of these defibrillators, and how to use this life-saving device in a parkrun event if a heart attack or SCA strikes. Scott has developed the parkrun Chain of Survival chart and video – educational tools to show you the 4 basic steps involved in saving a life in a parkrun event.
Why are defibrillators important?
It has been medically shown that for every minute that goes by, the heart dies by an additional 10%, applying this parkrun chain of survival, with early CPR and early access to a defibrillator in a heart attack or SCA, increases the chances of survival by up to 80%. WOW, this gives everyone a better chance, so here it is:
Step 1– In the parkrun chain of survival is to ensure safety for everyone, call 000 and send someone to the parkrun director to retrieve the Defibrillator and first aid equipment.
Step 2– If the patient stops breathing, Start CPR as soon as possible, look, listen and feel for breathing and if the patient is not breathing, start by checking the airway, then get going on compressions. 2 compressions a second until the defibrillator arrives.
Step 3– apply the defibrillator to the patient’s chest as soon as possible, make sure no one stops compressions until the defibrillator tells you. The defibrillator once opened will start talking you through the steps from here.
Step 4– Advanced care, this means the paramedics will administer lifesaving drugs and support to stabilise the patient, they will also deliver the patient to the hospital for further care.
This parkrun Chain of Survival can be utilised across all areas of the community and has been developed by Scott to suit parkrun events. The standard Chain of Survival was originally developed by the American Heart Association in 1991. The original idea was that all communities should adopt the principle of early defibrillation and that all personnel who are likely, as part of their duties, to perform basic CPR, should be equipped with a Defibrillator.
Since then, the Australian Resuscitation Council have backed early Defibrillation and recommended that a person responding to a patient in cardiac arrest should have access to a defibrillator within 1 to 2 minutes. Particularly within a workplace and sporting arenas.
If you would like more information about the LIFEPAK CR PLUS Defibrillator, you can visit the First Aid Accident & Emergency parkrun page
If you like to make a fully tax-deductible donation to our #defibs4parkrun campaign, you can do so via the Australian Sports Foundation.
