Wolgan Valley Community Defib Project
In April 2023, the Wolgan Valley Association was successful in securing a Lithgow City Council Financial Assistance Program Grant for $7,000 to fund two AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) for the Wolgan Valley community.
No mobile phone reception and road closures leading to restricted access in and out of the Wolgan Valley, was recently identified by the community as posing a risk to emergency services in responding to medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest. According to Heart Research Australia, it is estimated that every day up to 55 Australians suffer a cardiac arrest when going about their daily business and if they are not at a hospital less than 8% of these Australians survive.
Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) performed by a bystander immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a patient’s chance of survival. Using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) within the first minute of sudden cardiac arrest, can potentially bring the chance of survival rate up to 90%.
AEDs are devices used with CPR that deliver a controlled shock (defibrillation) to an individual experiencing cardiac arrest, increasing their chance of survival.
The Wolgan Valley Association has been working closely with the highly successful non-profit Community Defib Program, to install two community accessible defibrillators for the Wolgan Valley community. The goal of the project is to ensure that every Wolgan Valley Community member is no more than 10 minutes away from a life-saving AED.
The two AED’s installed in Wolgan Valley are located at:
AED # 163 – 1499 Wolgan Road, Wolgan Valley NSW 2790
AED # 164 – Newnes Hotel, 3406 Wolgan Road, Newnes NSW 2790
The Community Defib Program has had great success in supporting rural communities roll out AED programs including the downstream communities of Upper Colo Valley, Lower Portland and Wisemans Ferry. The Wolgan Valley community will be supported through the Community Defib Program with:
- AEDs, waterproof cabinets, signage, supporting resources
- Ongoing AED maintenance, compliance checks and battery replacement
- Community Education and information sessions on how to do CPR and use the AED
- Aligning with First Responder Programs
- Advice regarding AED locations.
Community Defib Training Workshop
On Sunday 23 July 2023, the Wolgan Valley community came together for the first AED and CPR training as part of the Wolgan Valley Community Defib Project.
A big thank you to Carpet Hughes from the Community Defib Project for sharing his knowledge and expertise, and for training attendees in CPR and in the use of the two newly installed AED’s located here in the valley.
The training was well attended, including members from the NSW SES Lithgow Unit (Linda, Patrick and Phil), making the Wolgan Valley community much better prepared for heart attack and cardiac arrest.
A special thank you to Thomas and Helen Ebersoll at the Newnes Hotel for hosting the event and community BBQ afterwards, as well as Jane Montgomery, Sarah Denmead and Kristie Kearney from the WVA for coordinating the CDP here in Wolgan Valley.
As mentioned, we currently have two AED’s installed in Wolgan Valley at:
AED # 163 – 1499 Wolgan Road, Wolgan Valley NSW 2790
AED # 164 – Newnes Hotel, 3406 Wolgan Road, Newnes NSW 2790
However, to ensure that property holders, residents and visitors to the valley are no more than 10km away from an AED, we’re on the lookout for sponsorship for a third AED. If you would like to help or know of any organisation that would be able to assist, please contact the Wolgan Valley Association via email at .
