Every Colac district football club will have a defibrillator this season.
EVERY Colac district football club will have life-saving technology at its home ground this season.
The Colac District Football League has signed off on a motion to equip each football ground with a defibrillator.
A defibrillator uses an electronic shock to restore normal heart rhythm in patients.
CDFL chairman Peter Lucas said the league would buy defibrillators for the seven clubs which did not already have one.
The money would come out of an annual rebate clubs received at the end of each season.
The rebate was about $3000 at the end of 2011, with defibrillators costing about $2000 after a Victorian Country Football League subsidy.
Mr Lucas said Otway Districts, Lorne, Simpson and Birregurra had bought defibrillators either on their own or with their communities.
“We thought it good practice that all clubs had a defibrillator. It’s not just for the football club, the community knows one is there,” he said.
Mr Lucas said the league opted to buy the equipment itself, rather than approach Colac Otway Shire Council, which was yet to place a defibrillator at Bluewater Fitness Centre.
“The data in relation to defibrillators is indisputable,” he said.
“If someone can get one onto a victim suffering cardiac arrest within seven minutes the figures are phenomenal in terms of them recovering.
“It’s not just for footballers, we’ve got hundreds of spectators, umpires at our matches.
“The chances are somewhere, some day one will be needed.”
