Operation Heartbeat

Wellington Free Ambulance is installing five new Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) in the community tomorrow, as part of Operation Heartbeat.

The automated defibrillators are used to help revive patients in cardiac arrest. They are being put in places the public can have access to 24/7.

“Wellington Free Ambulance is the only organisation installing defibrillators that are available 24 hours a day to the wider community in special AED stations. The cabinets are fully secure and when access is needed people ring 111 and are given the access codes,” says Wellington Free Ambulance Community Resuscitation Advisor Andrew Dunning.

Andrew says, “We encourage all members of the community to know CPR. Training can be arranged for anyone in the community to use the equipment and perform CPR, through Wellington Free Ambulance’s Operation Heartbeat program.”

The new AED units are being installed at the Karori Medical Centre, Samuel Marsden School, the Karori Community Centre, the Te Aro Health Centre and the Churton Park Community Centre. Each station, costs around $4,000.

The Karori Medical Centre and the Marsden Village Association have funded the AED station for the medical centre.

Samuel Marsden School has fully funded the AED station at the school with the support of the parents association.

The Karori Community Centre AED station has been funded by Rotary Club of Wellington and the Mazda Foundation.

The Te Aro Health Centre AED station has been fully funded by Rotary Club of Wellington.

The Churton Park Community Centre AED station has been funded by the Churton Park Community Association along with a donation in memory of a local resident.

The installations begin in Karori at 9.30 a.m. Thursday the 8th of August.

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