Communities across NSW are set to benefit from a new NSW Ambulance map that shows the location of lifesaving Automated External Defibrillators (AED).
The map can be found on the NSW Ambulance website and the GoodSAM app and pinpoints the location of around 5,313 registered AEDs from Broken Hill to Bondi.
To coincide with Restart a Heart Day, an international campaign encouraging communities to learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an AED, NSW Ambulance will launch the map in Martin Place in Sydney on Thursday 16 October.
Members of the community can visit from 7am to 2pm to meet with NSW Ambulance paramedics where they can sign up as a GoodSAM volunteer and learn lifesaving skills such as CPR and how to use a defibrillator.
The GoodSAM program, a partnership between NSW Ambulance and the GoodSAM responder app, has already helped save 80 lives in NSW since its launch in 2023. Twenty-six of those lives were saved with the help of an AED.
The app works by alerting registered volunteers when someone nearby suffers a cardiac arrest and a Triple Zero (000) call has been received. Volunteers can choose to respond and provide CPR while an ambulance is dispatched. If an AED is nearby, the app will guide responders to it, improving the patient’s chance of survival.
“It’s incredible to see more than 11,600 people have now signed up as a GoodSAM volunteer to help and perform simple chest compressions to those in need while paramedics arrive.
“We know the best chance of survival for anyone having an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is receiving early chest compressions and defibrillation, the GoodSAM app now enables local heroes to find the nearest AED.
“It’s super simple to sign up with GoodSAM, I encourage everyone eligible to become a volunteer and help save a life today.”
You don’t need formal CPR or first aid training to register as a GoodSAM responder – just be 18 or older and willing to provide chest compressions, which are easy and safe to perform.
“NSW Ambulance attends to around 10,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year. Early CPR and defibrillation are critical to survival, and our GoodSAM volunteers are making a life-saving difference in their communities,” said NSW Ambulance Chief Executive, Dr Dominic Morgan.
“We’re delighted so many community members have embraced our GoodSAM program, which is helping save lives by connecting volunteers to patients in the critical first minutes of a cardiac arrest until paramedics arrive.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for people who are willing and able to perform CPR to make a life-saving difference in their local communities. Sadly, not everyone survives a cardiac arrest, but early compressions give people the very best chance of returning home.”
One lucky survivor of a cardiac arrest was Kent Ross, who at age 49, collapsed before a round of golf. Thankfully, his friends recognised he was having a cardiac arrest before delivering CPR and a shock from an AED. He has since made a full recovery.
“I’m here today because of quick thinking, teamwork, and CPR and I’m incredibly grateful to my friends who stepped up and gave me CPR when it mattered most,” said Mr Ross.
“I want people to know that CPR works. It saved my life. If you see someone collapse, don’t wait – start CPR and use an AED if available. You could be the reason someone gets to celebrate their 50th birthday.”
To register as a GoodSAM volunteer, visit: ambulance.nsw.gov.au/goodsam.
To view the AED map, visit: ambulance.nsw.gov.au/get-involved/locate-an-aed.
