Defibrillator a handy addition

Cookernup’s Lucky 7 General Store in is now home to an Automatic External Defibrillator thanks to St John Ambulance Harvey volunteers.

Following a review of the AED units, strategic locations within the Shire of Harvey were highlighted as important sites to store the units for emergencies.

A secure cabinet to keep the unit in was installed on Friday at the store by St John Ambulance Harvey members Ken Hart, Chris Sabourne and Paul Beech.

“AED’s are a vital piece of emergency first aid equipment,” Mr Beech said. “It might take us 20 minutes to get to an emergency within this area, but with this AED unit now easily available there is a higher chance of survival in an emergency.”

St John Ambulance WA rolled out a free app last year which Mr Beech encourages everyone to download.

“The First Responder app locates nearby defibrillators and contains a first aid instruction guide which is extremely useful in emergency situations,” he said.

“We will also be offering free training to the Cookernup community for the AED units in the coming weeks.”