$2,500. A Few Minutes. A Life Saved. Is Your Workplace Ready?

he Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation (ANZCOR) guidelines (ANZCOR, 2025, Guideline 7 – Automated External Defibrillation in Basic Life Support, accessed 13 May 2025, “A defibrillator should be applied to the person who is unresponsive and not breathing normally as soon as it becomes available so that a shock can be delivered if necessary.”

Furthermore, the guideline goes on to say, “The time to defibrillation is a key factor that influences survival. For every minute defibrillation is delayed, there is approximately 10% reduction in survival if the victim is in cardiac arrest due to Ventricular Fibrillation (VF). CPR alone will not save a person in VF.”

What does this mean for casualties in the workplace or community?  It means that they have little to no chance of surviving if first aid isn’t initiated.  Any attempt at first aid is generally better than no attempt.  It is well established that cells begin to die within 3-4 minutes of not receiving oxygen and any damage that has occurred is irreversible within 10 minutes. 

The DRSABCD action plan and chain of survival should be started as soon as possible.  Early access to Ambulance (000), CPR, defib (AED) and advanced care will ensure the casualty receives the best possible chance of surviving the incident with the least amount of injury/illness.  

AED’s save lives, but they can’t do it without your help.  Learning how to save lives together with First Aid Everyday, book your training today.