When Cohuna farmhand Chris Marino returned from his first day at a new job for a celebratory dinner with his parents, he never expected to be performing CPR on his father at the table.

Chris’s father, Tony, was in cardiac arrest, falling unconscious in his chair. He had previously had three heart attacks.

Thinking quickly, Chris lifted him up and on to the floor, performing CPR using the skills he learnt almost two decades earlier in high school.

“I heard dad make this strange snore,” Chris said.

“I tried to wake him up, but he wouldn't, and then he started to turn grey from his neck up to his lips.

“I realised something bad was going on, so I put him on the ground and started CPR. I didn't know what I was doing, I was freaking out, but I just pushed hard and fast.”

It was Chris’s actions that Ambulance Victoria staff believe saved his father’s life.

For every minute that someone in cardiac arrest does not receive CPR, their chance of survival drops by 10 per cent.

“Ten minutes with no CPR, you’ve got zero chance,” Ambulance Victoria Buloke Gannawarra senior team manager Mark Passalick said.

“So for Chris to start (CPR), it’s huge. It gives us time to get there.”

Deidre Marino, Chris’s mother and Tony’s wife, called 000 as Chris continued CPR on his dad.

From there, an alert went out through GoodSAM asking for assistance.

GoodSAM is an app created by Ambulance Victoria to connect people willing to administer CPR with cases of cardiac arrest reported to 000 to provide support while AV is in transit.

Off-duty ambulance community officer Josh Garbutt was notified through GoodSAM and arrived at Tony’s home, along with on-duty ACO Paul Nicoll and paramedic Ange Layton.

ACO Melissa Hayes and paramedic Megan Lacey were next on the nscene.

Tony was defibrillated and taken to Bendigo Health, where he remained for two weeks and was given a pacemaker.

“He wouldn’t have survived if Chris hadn’t have done that,” Mr Nicoll said.

“I don’t think we would’ve got him back after the 10, 15 minutes (until) we got there.”

Mrs Marino is extremely grateful to still have her husband around, particularly when she can credit the actions of her son for this.

“It’s such a relief, I thought I lost him,” she said.

“I was frantic, I was all over the place. (Chris) is awesome, I’m proud of him for what he did.

“He did a really good job. He surprised me actually, the way he picked his dad up off the chair and plonked him on the floor and went straight into it.

“We’re very lucky.”

The AV team emphasised the importance of learning CPR and registering through the GoodSAM app, particularly in rural areas, where travel time can be the difference between life or death.

During Tony’s cardiac arrest, three GoodSAM responders came to his home to assist.

“That’s what we need,” Mr Passalick said.

“We need people to know they can do CPR courses, and they can do GoodSAM.

“Sometimes (AV) isn’t around and GoodSAM is the first person there.”

Around 80 per cent of cardiac arrests happen in the home, making a significant impact on survival rates.

Bystander intervention has the biggest impact on improving these odds.

It is simple to become a GoodSAM responder through https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/goodsam/

Anyone can learn CPR through a Call, Push, Shock session, run by AV staff to educate people about the steps to take if someone is having a cardiac arrest; calling 000, administering CPR and using an AED.

Sports clubs, community organisations, workplaces and even groups of friends can access these sessions. The Ambulance Victoria general inquiries line can be reached on 1300 366 141.

There are Call, Push, Shock sessions in the region coming up as part of Shocktober, including at Echuca Family Day on Tuesday, October 22, as part of Children’s Week.

Held at Apex Park, 213 Leichardt St, Echuca, it will include family-focused information and a Call, Push, Shock session at 10am.

Opportunities to work as an ambulance community officer are also available to those looking to provide further emergency support.

Training on advanced first aid like basic life support, defibrillator use and checking vital signs is part of the ACO role. To find out more head to https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/careers/become-a-first-responder/

For more information about Shocktober, GoodSAM and Call, Push, Shock visit www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/shocktober

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Friday, 22nd December 2023

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