Shocktober Puts Life-Saving Skills In Local Hands

Knowing what to do in the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest can make a vital difference, so Hato Hone St John is encouraging people across the Western Bay to learn CPR and how to use a defibrillator this Shocktober.

The nationwide awareness campaign includes free “3 Steps for Life” sessions, teaching people three simple steps: call 111, start CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Hato Hone St John community engagement coordinator Berenice Langson says the aim is to get more people prepared to take action before an ambulance arrives.

“It’s so that somebody will act decisively, somebody will call 111, and somebody will continue to take action while the ambulance gets there,” Berenice says.

Laura Pratt, a Hato Hone St John volunteer and 3 Steps for Life educator, has been delivering the training for three years.

Laura says one of the biggest misconceptions she encountered was that everyone already knew how to perform CPR effectively.

“I assumed that every adult knew CPR and effective CPR,” she says. “But then I realised people don’t know, and they need to be educated to give somebody a chance of survival.”

The training covers the steps to take when someone becomes unresponsive, effective CPR and how to use an AED. Laura says the machines can look complicated, but are designed to guide people through what to do. She also stresses that people who can't physically perform CPR can still play an important role by directing someone else who can.

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Laura has seen the value of preparation first-hand. One of the young people she works with, aged 16, had to perform CPR on his father. Although his father later died from another medical complication, the training meant he was prepared and able to perform effective CPR rather than feeling helpless. The experience has since encouraged him towards a career as a paramedic.

Laura says the training is about giving people a plan instead of panic, particularly when the person needing help is a loved one.

Last year’s Shocktober campaign saw 18,023 people trained through 3 Steps for Life, including 72 public sessions, while more than 36,000 people learnt CPR for their loved one through the campaign. A total of 6,348 people were also trained through Hato Hone St John’s first aid courses.

Locally, a free session will be held on Friday 9th October from 6.30pm to 7.30pm at Hato Hone St John Station, 146 17th Avenue, Tauranga.

Another session is on Wednesday 21st October from noon to 1pm at the same location, followed by a Katikati session on Thursday 22nd October from 11am to noon at Katikati Community Centre, 45 Beach Road.

A further session will be held on Wednesday 28th October from 11am to noon outside the Hato Hone St John Op Shop at Brookfield Shopping Centre, 75 Bellevue Road.

To RSVP for the Tauranga or Katikati sessions, contact Berenice Langson on 027 252 7156 or email berenice.langson@stjohn.org.nz

Groups can also book their own 3 Steps for Life session through the Hato Hone St John booking system. Sessions can be arranged beyond October.

For information or group bookings, email 3stepsforlife@stjohn.org.nz

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