Life-saving investment necessary at all businesses

The more people with access to defibrillators, and the more people who know how to use them, the more lives that could be saved.

OPINION: The more people with access to defibrillators, the more lives that could be saved. Picture: Nastco, Thinkstock

OPINION:

AS EMILY Counter's story of survival spreads across the world, hundreds of people have shared how quick access to defibrillators have saved their own lives.

Emily, 21, owes her life to Aaron Petterson and Ben Duffy, who sprung into action to give her CPR and use a defibrillator when she went into sudden cardiac arrest at Anytime Fitness Noosa last year.

Emily's story has gone viral, which is exactly what she wanted in the hope that other lives could be saved in the same way.

Emily Counter has thanked the people who saved her life after she went into cardiac arrest from an underlying heart condition at a Noosa gym. Picture: Contributed

If it wasn't for the knowledge of Mr Petterson and Mr Duffy, or the availability of a defibrillator at the gym, her story could have gone a lot differently.

Not all gyms or businesses have the life-saving machines on scene, and Emily wants to change that.

Being a relatively affordable device, I don't understand how having one at every business isn't mandatory in Australia.

With the chance of survival dropping from 90 to 10 per cent without immediate action, it seems like a no-brainer that everyone should have one nearby.

Emily had an underlying heart condition that she had no idea about until she went into cardiac arrest while working out. Picture: Patrick Woods

Jill Lowry's harrowing story of watching a man die after a similar situation at Kings Beach only proves the importance of these machines, and why they should be easily accessible.

She says the more people with access to defibrillators, and the more people who know how to use them, the more lives that could be saved.

Hopefully after reading these stories, more businesses across the country will make the live-saving investment and make sure they have a defibrillator.