St John Ambulance clinical services director Paul Bailey and Public Transport Authority spokesman David Hynes with one of the new station defibrillators.
Camera IconSt John Ambulance clinical services director Paul Bailey and Public Transport Authority spokesman David Hynes with one of the new station defibrillators. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Train passengers given access to life-saving defibrillators at Perth stations

Matt ZisSouthern Gazette

TRAIN passengers will be able to access and use life-saving defibrillators in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest at multiple Perth stations.

The defibrillators were installed at 18 stations this week, with a wider rollout to be considered after three months.

The stations are: Bayswater, Bassendean, Maylands, Kwinana, Warnbro, Wellard, Gosnells, Kelmscott, Victoria Park, Oats Street, Burswood, Butler, Whitfords, Glendalough, Daglish, Aubin Grove and Bull Creek stations.

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St John clinical services director Paul Bailey said even people without medical training would be able to use the machines in an emergency.

“The best thing about these devices is they can be operated by someone without any training – the machine provides simple instructions to the user,” Dr Bailey said.

The defibrillators are in locked boxes and can be accessed only by calling 000 to receive an access code.

Exact locations of the units appear on the St John First Responder app, which displays nearby defibrillators.

A further 10 defibrillators have been installed in PTA transit officers’ mobile patrol vehicles.

Public Transport Authority spokesman David Hynes said the trial would better equip transit officers, members of the public and first responders.

“There are more than a million passenger boardings on the train network every week, so our staff are well-trained on how to deal with a medical emergency,” he said.

“Every minute counts – the sooner someone can receive treatment from a defibrillator, the better their chance of survival.”

Dr Bailey said for every minute that a person in cardiac arrest is not defibrillated they lose a 10 per cent chance of survival, and after 10 minutes the chances of recovery are virtually nil.