Premier

Revolutionary App Helping Save Lives

29 May 2018

An army of highly-trained Good Samaritans is being recruited to save lives when people in the community have a cardiac arrest, thanks to cutting-edge technology being rolled out by the Andrews Labor Government.

Premier Daniel Andrews joined Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy and a host of first responders to launch Ambulance Victoria’s GoodSAM app, the latest smartphone technology that’s helping registered first responders get to the scene of a nearby cardiac arrest faster – even when they’re off duty.

The Victorian-first app alerts trusted, qualified and registered first responders to a nearby cardiac arrest after a call is made to Triple Zero (000).

In an emergency, every second counts. A first responder providing first aid in the critical minutes before an ambulance arrives can be the difference between life and death.

The revolutionary app has been rolled out as part of a pilot to 1,500 off-duty paramedics and other first responders and already it’s making a big difference. A cardiac arrest patient from Narre Warren South and another from Ballarat survived – and have the GoodSAM app to thank.

When someone experiences a cardiac arrest, the closest ambulance is immediately dispatched. Now, the three nearest registered responders will also receive instant alerts, so that they can step in until an ambulance arrives.

The Labor Government is repairing Victoria’s ambulance system after four years of crisis under the Liberals, where response times blew out to the worst on the Australian mainland.

Our $500 million plan is improving ambulance response times, employing 450 more paramedics, buying new vehicles and building more stations across the state. It’s the largest funding boost ever delivered for Victoria’s ambulance services.

Thanks to our record investment, we now have the best ambulance response times in nine years. Despite rising demand, paramedics are reaching emergencies within the benchmark 15 minutes, 83 per cent of the time. That’s up from 80 per cent a year prior and 73 per cent from when the Liberals were last in Government.

The GoodSAM app is being used by first responders from Ambulance Victoria, Life Saving Victoria, the CFA, St John Ambulance Victoria and Chevra Hatzolah.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“Paramedics are getting to the scene of a cardiac arrest faster than ever before, but we still need first responders to step in when they can in the critical minutes before an ambulance arrives.”

“In an emergency, every second counts. This cutting-edge technology means highly-trained first responders can get to the scene of a cardiac arrest sooner – boosting the chance of survival.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy

“This is just one of the many ways we’re giving our paramedics and other first responders the tools and resources they need to save more lives in an emergency.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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