StreetBeat: A world-first milestone for the heart of Canberra
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When thinking about the essentials at your local shops, the list might include a grocery store, chemist or if you’re lucky enough, a great café. But what about something truly life-saving: an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)?
Thanks to StreetBeat, a partnership between GoodLoop Mutual and St John Ambulance ACT, the bright red AED cabinets you may have seen on your coffee run or morning walk are about to become a regular fixture, with the recent announcement that Canberra will become one of the first cities in the world to have a publicly accessible AED in every suburb by the end of the year.
The news comes after two philanthropists, Frederik Paulsen OBE and Canberran Mat Franklin, contributed over $350,000 to fund 77 new AEDs, in addition to the 47 AEDs across Canberra, thanks to significant contributions from Capital Chemist, GoodLoop Mutual, Community Bank Canberra and a range of other individuals, businesses and community groups.
CEO of St John Ambulance ACT Martin Fisk.
The momentum from the campaigns caught the attention of the philanthropists, who have also pledged to provide free CPR training for the next two years, arming Canberrans with the confidence to act quickly in an emergency.
In a cardiac arrest emergency, the StreetBeat AEDs act as a guide, automatically analysing the heart’s rhythm, advising if a shock is necessary, and using voice prompts to walk the user through CPR steps.
With sudden cardiac arrest remaining one of Australia’s leading causes of death, CEO of St John Ambulance ACT Martin Fisk says the devices are simple, safe and can save a life in those critical first few minutes.
One of the StreetBeat AEDS.
“Through this initiative, we’re not only increasing access to life-saving equipment but also building confidence in the community to use it,” he says.
Several AEDs have already been used by members of the community in suspected emergency situations, including at the Waramanga and Lyneham shops. In October, a 16-year-old basketballer collapsed in Queanbeyan, with spectators and off-duty nurses using a club-owned defibrillator to shock his heart back into rhythm within two minutes, saving his life and proving the power of having an AED within reach.
Canberran Mat Franklin is one of two philanthropists to donate to the StreetBeat initiative.
Mat, who is the Managing Partner of consulting business Uvance Wayfinders, says he had been searching for a meaningful way to give back to his city, and found it in StreetBeat after reading about them in a news article.
“Your chance to survive a sudden cardiac arrest should not be determined by your postcode or income level,” he says.
“We are removing the disadvantage caused by uneven access to AEDs and making lifesaving support consistent across every community in Canberra. For me, this is what building trust in society really looks like, using innovation in a practical way to create safer resilient communities.”
GoodLoop Mutual CEO Ivan Slavich.
GoodLoop Mutual CEO Ivan Slavich says the community-driven milestone reflects what’s possible when communities, organisations, and individuals come together with a shared purpose to save lives.
“The generosity of our philanthropic supporters has allowed us to significantly accelerate the rollout of StreetBeat, bringing life-saving equipment within reach of more Canberrans than ever before,” he says.
Find out more about how to use the AEDs, where they are located and more at streetbeat.life
