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Recreation Centre Staff Use Defibrillator to Help Save Patron’s Life
Thirty-five-year-old Justin Bowker says he owes his life to Melville Recreation Centre staff and the centre’s defibrillator after his heart stopped beating during an exercise class.
Staff took quick action to conduct CPR and use the defibrillator to revive the East Fremantle resident when he collapsed from an exercise bike during a circuit class in late April.
Justin returned to Melville Recreation Centre on Wednesday, 21 May to thank centre staff for their professional response and having the foresight to install a defibrillator. “They saved my life,” he said. “Their quick thinking and the fact they had a defibrillator close by is the reason I’m still here.”
Following Justin’s cardiac arrest, staff member Terry Hathaway and a centre user quickly commenced CPR while Lifestyle Services Programs Manager Peter de Lang used the defibrillator to help regain and regulate Justin’s heartbeat.
Mr de Lang said Justin was a lucky man. “The fact that CPR commenced immediately bought us the extra couple of minutes needed to attach the defibrillator and deliver the life-saving shock,” he said.
When an ambulance arrived, Justin was taken to Fremantle Hospital. After examinations, the doctors determined the reason Justin collapsed was due to damage to his heart caused by a virus he had about six weeks previously.
“My heart didn’t stop because I was exercising,” Justin said. “It could have happened anywhere – walking down the street, at the shops, wherever. I am actually fortunate it happened at Melville Rec. To have people around me who knew what to do and to have a defibrillator on hand is what got me through.”
The City of Melville installed defibrillators at its aquatic and recreation centres in February last year to provide a quick response in the unlikely event of a patron suffering heart problems. Defibrillators are machines that automatically monitor a person’s heart rate and administer an electric pulse to re-establish normal heart rhythm if necessary. There is also a defibrillator installed at the City’s Operations Centre, in Murdoch.
Mayor Russell Aubrey said the City of Melville was one of the first local governments to install defibrillators at its aquatic-recreation centres. “The Council recognised the undoubted benefits that could be gained from having defibrillators available for emergency use,” he said. “Now one of our centre’s patrons has experienced the benefits first hand.”
Mayor Aubrey said the City’s aquatic and recreation centres received more than 1.1 million visits each year. “The City strives to ensure our patrons’ safety while they are using our facilities,” he said. “The defibrillators form part of our emergency response plans and add extra reassurance to our members and casual patrons. All staff are trained in first aid and in the use of the defibrillators and receive regular refresher courses.”
Justin, who now has a small defibrillator permanently inserted into his chest, said he encouraged other businesses and organisations to install defibrillators at their premises. “Until you are faced with a situation where you need a defibrillator, you are pretty oblivious to their existence,” he said. “I now know how essential they are.”