parkrun defibrillator Saves a Life

Recently our director Scott Whimpey caught up with the team from parkrun Australia to chat all things defibrillators and first responder training.

Catching up with the team from parkrun Australia.

First Aid Accident & Emergency are the defibrillator and training provider for parkrun Australia, “we have focussed on ensuring every parkrun has a defibrillator and training on when to use the life saving device”,  this has been rolled out to parkrun’s over the past 5 years with success stories coming in from all over Australia.

Survival from a cardiac event in Australia is lower than 5%, if you have the correct training and a defibrillator on hand, a patient can have an increased  survival outcome up to 80%, the below stories of Brett and Tanya are proof of this.

Since parkrun Australia’s inception in 2011, First Aid Accident & Emergency are proud to have supplied defibrillators, training and first aid kits to parkrun Australia. Having defibrillators at all parkrun events is vital for the health and safety of participants, and this is evidenced in the cases of Tanya Barlow and Brett Orpwood.

Brett Orpwood went into cardiac arrest at a parkrun in 2017.

In December 2017, 2 days before Christmas, Brett Orpwood was running in the Mullum Mullum parkrun event in Victoria with his 8-year-old son when he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully, a defibrillator that had only been supplied by First Aid Accident & Emergency 2 months prior was used within minutes to defibrillate Brett’s heart, saving his life. Since his near death experience, Brett has been a staunch advocate of defibrillators in communities and events.

In June 2018, Tanya Barlow was running in her local parkrun event at Blackbutt. She started to feel dizzy and sat down to catch her breath. Her next memory is waking up with paramedics surrounding her. Tanya had gone into cardiac arrest and it was through the quick actions of staff and the close proximity of the event’s designated defibrillator that saved her life.

First Aid Accident & Emergency are proud to continue partnering with parkrun Australia and moving towards our goal of ensuring all parkruns are protected by easily accessible defibrillators along with well-trained staff and volunteers.

To view our range of quality defibrillators and become a Heart Safe workplace, head to our online store.