News

Operation Heartbeat underway

Nikau Foundation has joined forces with Wellington Free Ambulance in a new educational initiative to be known as Operation Heartbeat. This project will provide education for secondary school pupils throughout the Wellington Region to learn how to recognise a Cardiac Arrest, perform CPR and to operate a defibrllator to greatly improve the chances of survival for anyone suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. The initiative will also extend to businesses and families at risk as the programme develops.

In association with this initiative the availability of defibrillators will be expaned throughout the region.

To access the Operation Heartbeat website click here.


Wellington Free Ambulance Vehicle branded with Nikau Foundation logo.

The following quote from Wellington Free Ambulance further explains this initiative:

OPERATION HEARTBEAT
 
“Wellington Free Ambulance has ambitious plans to improve its already highly respected emergency ambulance service. 
 
SeattleCity in the USA has the highest cardiac arrest survival rates in the world. The survival rates are thanks mostly to a strong emphasis on training citizens in CPR and the widespread provision of automatic electronic heart defibrillators. One of the key goals of this project is to help the Greater Wellington Region overtake Seattle’s survival rates.
 
The grant from the Nikau Foundation will enable Wellington Free Ambulance to employ a community resuscitation officer to start training members of the public. Initially the focus will go on schools. Research from Seattle points to teenagers being more successful at assimilating the CPR workshop, and they have a greater propensity to use their skills in the face of a sudden cardiac arrest. Families living with at risk family members will also be targeted for training.
 
The region wide CPR initiative will be given a kick start this year with a massive demonstration on Wellington’s waterfront, preceding the Pelorus Guy Fawkes extravaganza. Residents from the Greater Wellington Region will be able to get a ‘hands on’ demonstration of CPR. 
 
With help from the Nikau Foundation, the journey has begun for Wellington to overtake Seattle City USA as the cardiac arrest survival capital.” 
 
Ross Cameron – Marketing Manager – Wellington Free Ambulance