First outdoor St John SA course to help keep South Australians safe this summer
As summer begins, an outdoor cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) first aid course will be held in Hindmarsh Square today, Friday 7 December from 11am-2pm to remind South Australians of the critical importance of CPR skills in the community. The first of its kind event in South Australia will be hosted by Bendigo Bank and St John SA.
With people spending more time around the pool, at the beach or the river, there comes an increased risk of drowning and the need to be prepared to act in an emergency. Approximately 25,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) occur each year in Australia and of those, almost 60 percent of OHCA patients do not receive bystander CPR, which has the potential to more than double survival rates .
“Just 9 per cent of South Australians who experience an OHCA survive to hospital discharge. This figure could be dramatically improved through bystander CPR and early defibrillation. Offering training to our South Australian staff members and customers through our partnership with St John SA means there will be significantly more people in the community prepared and ready to act in an emergency situation. Bendigo Bank is proud of its commitment to customers and communities, we strive to feed into prosperity, not off it,” said Paul Mertin, State Manager SA/NT, Bendigo Bank.
As part of the partnership, two St John SA trainers will facilitate the 18-participant course, for a combination of Bendigo Bank staff, customers and commercial partners. The activation will also be open to the public who can participate in a short CPR session with St John SA at its onsite Community First Aid Training Vehicle, the CPR Lab. Bluetooth mannequins will show real-time CPR performance feedback on the vehicle’s live television screen, with prizes up for grabs for the best performers.
An additional 72 Adelaide CBD Bendigo Bank staff were trained on Thursday 6 December, with the Bank funding two first aid courses per month for customers at each of the 36 South Australian Bendigo Bank and Community Bank® branches – equivalent to 864 free courses over 12 months.
“The support we receive from Bendigo Bank is invaluable. They enable us to continue to provide free community programs like First Aid in Schools, and this year alone we were able to give away 1000 first aid kits and six defibrillator packages to South Australian public schools, all thanks to the support received from Bendigo Bank”, says Michael Cornish, CEO St John SA.
“It’s fantastic to see an organisation like Bendigo Bank so committed to enhancing community resilience through first aid, especially now providing 864 of their customers the opportunity to be first aid trained over the next year”.
Bendigo Bank has been a Presenting Partner of St John SA for the past three years, contributing significantly to the charity’s work in the community.
