GoodSAM app calls on Victorians with first aid training to sign up and respond to cardiac arrests

There’s an app for everything and now there’s one that might save your life if you have a heart attack, pinging nearby people trained in first aid before paramedics arrive. Here’s what you need to do.

Hundreds of thousands of Victorians with first aid training are being urged to become first responders to heart attacks in their communities.

The GoodSAM smartphone app is aiming to sign up thousands of good Samaritans who will receive an alert when a call is made to triple-0 about a cardiac arrest in their area.

While an ambulance is dispatched, the three closest people registered on the app will be given the address of the patient and the location of the nearest defibrillator so they can rush in to help before paramedics arrive.

The government hopes the app will assist paramedics responding to incidents. Picture: Peter Ristevski

The app is already used by about 5000 paramedics, medical professionals and emergency services personnel, who helped revive almost 20 Victorians in the last year.

But it is now being expanded to all Victorians who have completed nationally accredited first aid training courses, with the hope of signing up at least 20,000 people.

Acting Premier Lisa Neville said the “state-of-the-art technology” was a “game-changer” for responding to heart attacks.

“With cardiac arrest, every single second makes a difference between survival and death,” she said.

“Being able to have someone right there, on the spot … can actually save lives.”

“We know Victorians are going to embrace this program.”

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Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the app was not designed to replace paramedics but to assist them as they responded to incidents.

“Saving lives is a team effort. We will soon have a growing army of first-aid qualified responders across Victoria who can step in and help save a life,” she said.

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