EVERY Western Region Football Club will have a defibrillator at their home venue, thanks to the Defib Your Club for Life program.
As part of the program, Altona, Laverton, Altona Meadows and Point Cook Community Bank branches have bought 56 defibrillators for local sporting clubs.
Program founder and MICA paramedic Andrew White said the additional defibrillators, worth $35,000 in total, could potentially save even more lives of those who suffer cardiac arrest.
“A defibrillator is the most important lifesaving piece of equipment any club can have,” he said.
“There are great benefits for any community that has access to automatic defibrillators for emergency situations, both on and off the field.
“Research tells us that the MCG has a cardiac arrest survival rate of 85 per cent, as automatic defibrillators are readily available. This is compared to a 10 per cent chance elsewhere in Australia where the lifesaving equipment is not as accessible.”
A number of recent incidents throughout suburban football leagues has promoted the urgency of this program, according to Western Region Football League CEO Mr Bob Tregear.
“Over 30,000 Australians lose their lives to sudden cardiac arrest every year, and this donation will ensure our players, officials and spectators can enjoy our great game in the safest possible playing environment,” Tregear said.
Director of the Altona, Laverton/Altona Meadows and Point Cook Community Bank branches, Michael Boyd, said: “This is an important project for us to support, and will ensure that all players in the WRFL have timely access to a defib unit.”
Clubs received training on how to operate the defibrillators at Whitten Oval last week.
