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Coast Guard members demonstrate CPR
at Ballina Beach
Village caravan park |
A NEW South Wales seaside caravan park is working hard to provide
life-saving medical equipment to help cut the number of deaths by drowning.
Ballina Beach Village co-owner Rikki Grimberg told Caravanning News:
"We hope to have it all done and dusted by the end of this month and a
defibrillator in place for Easter."
Defibrillators use an electric shock to restore normal heart rhythm.
The urgency of the fund-raising campaign was highlighted in January when
three children watched in horror as their parents lost their lives in the
surf near the park at South Ballina.
"Getting a defibrillator was on the cards before these tragic drownings
happened,"
Ms Grimberg said.
"We had already discussed the fact that we needed
one. Unfortunately we didn't have it in place at the time of the drownings,
though in this instance I don't think it would have saved the couple."
A sand mining company and a business from a nearby beach are also helping
raise funds for the defibrillator, which will be kept at the 34-site park.
About $1500 has been raised so far. "We only have to come up with the
remaining $1500 and we can buy the defibrillator, which will be
state-of-the-art," Ms Grimberg added.
Her caravan park will host a fundraising event on March 27 where, for
$15-a-head, guests will be able to enjoy champagne and entertainment.
She said 40 people recently turned up at the park for a CPR training day
run by Ballina Coast Guard volunteers and support from members of the
Ballina Jet Boat Rescue.
"There was a mix of tourists and people from the wider community in
Ballina," Ms Grimberg explained. "It also gave them a chance to see a
defibrillator being used ... albeit on a dummy."
A qualified first-aider and lifesaver, Ms Grimbeerg added: "We are a
major holiday destination and see over 30,000 guests a year. It is a
stipulation in our employment contract that all our staff must obtain a
first-aid qualification."
With a hotel and motel background, she bought the two-and-a-half star park
last November and worked hard to earn its current three-and-a-half star status.
"We hadn't been in the caravan park business before but really it's the
same as all other holiday accommodation ... you have to give people
more than they expect," she said.
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Meanwhile, bosses at another NSW caravan park are relieved that so far
they have not had to use the defibrillator at their park, provided with
the help of big-hearted caravanners. The Good Samaritan travellers were
quick to act last year when a man died after suffering a heart attack at
the 118-site Brooms Head Caravan Park, about 90km north of Coffs Harbour.
In just a matter of weeks, they poured hundreds of dollars into a fund to
help buy a defibrillator for medical emergencies ... by refusing to take
back their $10 key deposits. Instead, when they checked out after their
stay, they put the money straight into a special jar on the park's
reception desk. Some even contributed $20. The defibrillator is now kept
in the park office and is available 24hrs a day to treat park guests and
villagers.
