The Rotary Club of Healesville presented a special gift to Healesville Police on National Police Remembrance Day, the day to pay respects to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
Coinciding with Blue Ribbon Day, an initiative of the Blue Ribbon Foundation which raises money for new and improved emergency facilities in Victorian public hospitals, Healesville Rotary Club donated an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to local police on Monday 29 September.
An AED is a portable, user-friendly device that treats sudden cardiac arrest by delivering an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal rhythm.
Healesville Rotary Club project coordinator Michael Hardinge said Rotary has always been about backing the local community where it matters most, and supporting Victoria Police with AEDs is a practical step that will have a real, immediate impact in Healesville.
“This project is about saving lives. When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every minute without defibrillation reduces their chance of survival by 10 per cent,” he said.
“Giving our local police the tools they need could be the difference between life and death.”
While police routinely deliver first aid and are often first on the scene in medical emergencies, AEDs are not standard issue equipment in police vehicles.
The AED delivered by Healesville Rotary will be equipped in the Healesville response vehicle to ensure local police officers can provide critical, lifesaving treatment while awaiting Ambulance Victoria’s arrival.
Healesville Police Acting Sergeant Tay Ray said Healesville Police feel blessed and honoured to be in such a good community.
“We feel very supported by the community. I know it’ll be used to help people when they need it most,” she said.
This initiative follows proven success in Mooroolbark, where supplied AEDs to police response vans were used within the first week of deployment and directly saved a life.
“We were talking to Sergeant Cunningham at Mooroolbark about the success that they’ve had with their defibrillator, which they funded through a Bendigo Bank grant,” the Healesville Rotarian said.
“It baffled me that defibrillators aren’t standard issue equipment in police vehicles that are responding to emergencies.
“A lot of the time, they are the first people to get there, so it makes sense that they need the equipment to save people’s lives.”
Healesville Rotary is now preparing to expand this new community safety initiative across the Yarra Valley to donate more AEDs to other police stations.
“The next step for us will be fundraising for an AED for the Yarra Glen van because Yarra Glen is also part of Healesville Rotary’s area,” Mr Hardinge said.
“We’re also going to work with other Rotary Clubs across the Yarra Valley and eventually, hopefully, across Victoria to try to roll out this project more broadly so it has a greater effect on saving lives.”
Community members who wish to support this next phase can contribute directly through the donation details available on the Rotary Club of Healesville website at rotaryhealesville.org
