Learning to save lives

Hato Hone St John’s is running ‘3 Steps for Life’ to raise community awareness about the importance of being prepared for medical emergencies.

According to Hato Hone St John’s latest out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) report, over 2,500 New Zealanders suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrests last year.

That is a 3.6 per cent increase from 2024, with 72 per cent of those in people’s homes, while 15 per cent happened in public.

Mia Noyes is the ‘3 Steps for Life’ delivery lead at Hato Hone St John, and says an accident can happen anywhere, and when it does people need to know what to do.

“Emergencies don’t wait. Just having a simple plan – knowing who to call, what to do and where the nearest defibrillator is – makes all the difference. Just preparing meals and tucking in the kids at night, we can prepare to be safe and ready to respond.”

The 3 Steps for Life programme teaches participants how to call an ambulance via 111, how to start CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), and how to use an AED (automated external defibrillator).

An AED is a portable device that is designed to analyse heart rhythms and gives controlled electric shocks to people in cardiac arrest.

While some might think that knowing CPR is enough, Noyes said that performing CPR and using an AED can double a person’s chances of survival.

“Our 3 Steps for Life sessions happen throughout the year at community venues across New Zealand, but particularly in October. We aim to teach as many people as possible the 3 Steps for Life through free one-hour community sessions.”

Based on findings from the same OHCA report, a person’s chances of surviving cardiac arrest drop by 10 to 11 per cent for every minute they do not get CPR and defibrillation. Only 24 per cent survived until help arrived, and only 11 per cent survived 30 days after experiencing cardiac arrest.

However, people had a 40 per cent chance of surviving when someone recognised they were going through cardiac arrest and gave them CPR and used an AED on them.

The programme starts on October 18 at the Ōrere War Memorial Hall, at 289 Ōrere Point Road, Ōrere Point.