04 Oct 2017 Seymour Telegraph, Seymour VIC (General News) Seymour Field and Game is set to take its game up a notch when it comes to dealing with an emergency, with a new defibrillator and training package thanks to the Victorian Government. The club, based at Avenel, is one of 1000 who will receive the life-saving defibrillators. Almost 900 defibrillators have been rolled out to clubs so far, meaning there is still more than 100 defibrillators and training packages up for grabs. Defibrillators at local sports clubs keep players safe, spectators protected, and are a vital tool for the community, State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said. In a life-threatening sudden cardiac arrest, every second counts, and bystanders play a critical role. Without a defibrillator close by, the survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest is somewhere between two and five per cent. When a defibrillator is used within the first few minutes, the rate of survival can rise to 70 per cent. The great news is that more bystanders than ever are stepping in to save lives, Ms Symes said. The use of public defibrillators for cardiac arrests has soared four-fold from 2.8 per cent in 2006-07 to 11 per cent in 2015-16. The new devices will appear on Ambulance Victorias database, so that 000 operators will be able to direct callers to the new devices available when emergency strikes. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.