ACT remote access paramedics adopt CellAED® personal defibrillators
ACT remote access paramedics adopt CellAED® personal defibrillators
Ambulance ACT is proud to be the first ambulance service in Australia to equip their remote access paramedics with CellAED® technology, enabling them to carry a life-saving defibrillator into inaccessible locations.
Last year, ACT Ambulance purchased twelve ultraportable CellAED® personal defibrillators. Chris Bowyer, Senior Director, Transformation and Capability Development at ACT Ambulance Service explains, “Our remote access paramedics carry between 22-25 kg of equipment and supplies, because they need to be self-sufficient for 24 hours, not only for themselves, but also for those they are trying to reach.”
“Weight and size are absolutely everything. The small size and light 450g weight of the CellAED® personal defibrillator, makes it small enough for the first responders to carry with ease.”
The paramedic units are now fitted with CellAED® defibrillators in their 4WD vehicles as part of an upgrade pack. “The CellAED® offers us something ‘immediate’ other than CPR, which was all we could use prior to taking these devices with us” said Joel Powell, Canberra Intensive Care Paramedic & Remote Access Paramedic Project Manager.
Echoing Chris, "It all comes down to weight, we need to reduce what the paramedics carry around because often their vehicle needs to be left behind, when the emergency they are attending is located in dense bushland,” said Joel. The CellAED® defibrillators also support the entire team who accompany the remote access paramedics to reach these incidents, including State Emergency Service (SES) and Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteers. The terrain and conditions on these occasions can be arduous, so having a CellAED® at these times is also beneficial for the whole team, not just the person(s) being saved.
Because CellAED® is also so easy-to-use, volunteers who may not be as regularly trained as the remote access paramedics can also use it.
Chris adds, “I’ve recommended CellAED® to family and friends, as well as other government departments, including ACT SES, Australian Federal Police (AFP), and RFS, we even have one located in our admin office.”
“I also live in a street where my neighbours are elderly, so I have purchased a CellAED® myself. In the time it takes an ambulance to arrive, CPR can be underway including the use of a defibrillator giving a patient the best chance of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest.”
It is great to see that ACT Government bodies are investing in CellAED® personal defibrillators to fulfill an important requirement across the Emergency Services sector.
It is hoped that ambulance and other emergency service organisations across the country will also adopt the world-first technology, ensuring more Australians have access to life-saving technology in the event of an emergency.