Heartfelt gifts to save lives

Donation demonstrates a significant commitment of care to the community

GREAT JOB: The Mitchell Local Ambulance Committee has donated defibrillators to Maranoa council to distribute throughout the region.

MARANOA Regional Council has received three defibrillators, courtesy of the Mitchell Local Ambulance Committee.

The equipment will be placed in Mitchell and surrounding areas for the community to use when required, specifically at the Mitchell RSL sport and recreation grounds, Amby Hall and Mungallala sports grounds.

Compliant with new Australian Resuscitation Council guidelines, three fully automatic G5A-31A Powerheart Automated External Defibrillators will be installed in coming weeks at these locations.

Deputy Mayor Jan Chambers said the council had partnered with Mitchell's local ambulance committee to increase early access to defibrillators in order to increase survival rates among cardiac arrest patients.

"This donation demonstrates a significant commitment of care to the Mitchell and surrounding community,” Cr Chambers said.

"We are extremely thankful for this donation from the Mitchell Local Ambulance Committee, as these defibrillators have the potential to save lives and assist in better outcomes in critical situations like a cardiac arrest.”

The local ambulance committee members in Mitchell have been working with local paramedics for years to help purchase equipment for council- serviced areas.

Elizabeth Halpin, Mitchell Local Ambulance Committee president, said the group tried to help where they could.

"We do raise money to buy whatever we can,” she said.

The committee has worked with paramedics to ensure small towns have the potential life-saving equipment.

"We put a defibrillator in Amby for example because last year or the year before a gentleman died there,” MsHalpin said.

"We think if a defibrillator had been there, it would have helped his chances.

"We hope that if there was another incident this could help.

"Obviously we hope they don't get used, but they're there if they are needed.”

To go about purchasing the products, Maranoa Regional Council bought them on behalf of the Mitchell LAC, in accordance with Queensland Ambulance Service guidelines, and has distributed the defibrillators where needed.

"We actually chose four places for the defibrillators,” Ms Halpin said.

"They are all council-controlled areas - that means the council services them.

"The Queensland Ambulance Service doesn't have anything really to do with these places now.

"So that's why we have chosen these places.

"We donated to Dunkeld, too. They don't have council services out there, so we have donated one to the golf club.”

Originally published as Heartfelt gifts to save lives