By Mikayla van Loon
Saving the life of a person just days after a donated portable defibrillator was gifted to Mooroolbark Police Station proved the importance and necessity of this equipment.
Through the generosity of Community Bank Mooroolbark, the local police station was fitted with both a community accessible automated external defibrillator (AED) and a portable defib to be kept within a divisional van.
Senior Sergeant Cassandra Forbes said the need stemmed from a few moments where, as first responders, police officers could have assisted a person instantly without waiting for paramedics.
“We had a couple of incidents where the van had been the first responder to incidents where an AED would have been handy to have on board, not that the delay in the ambos caused any detrimental effects but it would have been beneficial if we had had a defib there,” she said.
Having previously worked at a police station where a similar donation of a defib led to lives saved, Acting Senior Sergeant Cal Cunningham said he saw the value in gaining one for Mooroolbark.
“We managed to get a defib donated [at Heidelberg] and that stemmed from my personal experience of going to a number of incidents where we had to do CPR on members of the public being the first responders but not having a defib,” he said.
“I’ve seen firsthand the importance and what a life saving tool a defib is.”
Community Bank Mooroolbark branch manager Ash Wijey said donating defibrillators to community groups and sporting clubs has been a longstanding part of the bank’s dedication to supporting the health and wellbeing of people in the area.
“When we received the proposal, within 24 to 48 hours our board’s subcommittee approved it,” he said.
“Obviously they saw the benefit to the community straightaway. So rapid response right there. That’s what our business model is anyway, as long as it benefits the community, and in this case, it’s saving lives.”
Within days of having the newest addition to the divisional van equipment, Acting Snr Sgt Cunningham said Croydon police officers responded to a job which required an AED and with Mooroolbark’s van so close, the person was saved.
“In these cases, minutes and seconds make a difference,” he said.
Snr Sgt Forbes said it is a rarity for police cars to carry a defib but more and more community accessible AEDs at police stations are appearing.
“Having two donated is a huge gift to us and to the community. We’re all first aid qualified but we don’t really get the chance to use a defib that often because the ambos or the fireys will get there and they’re the ones that do that piece of the work but everyone’s stretched for resources and now we can offer our help when out on the road,” she said.
Acting Snr Sgt Cunningham said the AED at the station will be added to the GoodSAM app so people can quickly locate it if they need to.
Mooroolbark Police Station is open 24 hours, with the AED accessible at any time of the day for the community to use. The AED is located at the top of the entrance ramp outside the station’s entry door.
The police station can be found on the corner of Hull and Cambridge Roads.
