The Bridgetown sub-branch of the St John Ambulance (SJA) has donated three defibrillators to the Bridgetown Police Station.
The sub-branch made the donations, with money raised by its members, after finding that the police did not have the equipment, either in cars or at the station.
Officer in Charge at Bridgetown Police Station, Sergeant Dave White said that while his officers hoped they would never have cause to use the defibrillators, it was reassuring to know they were there in case of an emergency.
“Through the efforts of the local SJA sub-branch, Bridgetown Police are now equipped to provide the highest level of first aid, particularly in Regional WA where time and distance can be critical factors,” Sergeant White said.
“We have a strong working relationship with Bridgetown SJA along with all other emergency service organisations.”
He said building and maintaining the relationships was extremely important in Regional WA as the police relied on support from each other so much, particularly when attending critical incidents.
A defibrillator is a machine that uses an electric current to make a person’s heart beat in a normal, regular way when it has stopped doing this, or to start a heart beating again when it has stopped.
