Community First Responder

Contrary to popular belief, sudden cardiac arrest can strike any person regardless of age, gender or health status and approximately 33,000 Australians die every year from this condition. The single key contributing factor to improving survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest is the time taken to administer early CPR and defibrillation. Where CPR and defibrillation are administered within five minutes of an event, studies have shown dramatic improvements in survival rates.

How the CFR system works

In the event of a sudden cardiac arrest, the flow of events is:

• A person suffers a sudden cardiac arrest
• Bystanders call triple zero (000)
• An ambulance is dispatched
• The first responder is called by the St John Ambulance triple zero (000) call centre and deployed OR the caller is advised where the closest defibrillator is so that it can be retrieved
• The first responder carries out CPR and applies the defibrillator if necessary
• An ambulance arrives and paramedics take over the care of the patient

Benefits of becoming a CFR location

Discover our defibrillator locations across WA

The benefits of adopting the Community First Responder system in your organisation or community include:

• The knowledge that you will be playing a key role in helping to save lives in your local community or workplace.
• Peace of mind that a well coordinated response plan to medical emergencies is in place.
• Being informed of incidents of cardiac arrest as they are happening.
• A direct communication link between your organisation and St John WA.
• Ongoing support and customer service.
• An easy to implement plan that is already working well in Western Australian communities and organisations.