Defibrillators Critical to Saving Lives

RNLI lifeguard supervisor Sam Woodard checks a defibrillator as he prepares a lifeguard station on the beach at Viking Bay in Broadstairs, south-east England, on May 28, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

Every day the hearts of 16 Australians suddenly stop pumping and their chance of surviving is minuscule unless there is a defibrillator nearby.

Cardiac arrests remain the leading cause of death across the nation, with around 20,000 people having a heart attack away from a hospital every year and just 10 percent surviving.