The CFA has dispatched the last rollout of nearly 1,200 defibrillators over the past few weeks, with fire brigades such as Leopold receiving them in the last two weeks.
The devices, which were purchased using more than $2.5mil of community donations to the CFA, will now be on board every CFA fire truck and operational vehicle.
Leopold Fire Brigade First Lieutenant Chris Wilkinson said the defibrillators were welcomed by CFA members and would undoubtedly save lives in the future.
“We’ve certainly had scenarios in the past where one might have been handy,” Mr Wilkinson said.
“There have been examples outside of the Leopold fire brigade where CFA members and the general public have been saved by defibrillators on CFA vehicles.
“A strike team might have four or five CFA tankers with five people on each, so that’s potentially 25 members who may be out on the fireground and isolated from townships.
“Some strike team vehicles have had defibrillators for a longer period of time for that reason, but now we’ve got them on every truck. So even if there’s a car accident down the road and we’re just there for hazards, if something untoward happens we’ve now got a defibrillator on board.”
CFA & Brigades Donations Fund Chair Graeme Jilbert said the CFA made it a priority to ensure that donated funds have a direct benefit to CFA volunteers and brigades and the communities they serve.
“We cannot thank our donors enough for their generous contributions to CFA,” he said.
“Those who donate can be assured that Initiatives such as this defibrillator rollout will certainly help improve member safety.”
