Community safety has been given a boost with the opening of a first-of-its-kind St John Ambulance Victoria store and training hub at Eastland shopping centre in Melbourne.
The Australian-first St John Ambulance store and training hub at Eastland aims to close the first aid skills gap in the community, with new research showing parents are more likely to witness emergencies, but almost half don’t feel equipped to act.
The St John Ambulance research reveals 44% of Aussie parents with children in their home have witnessed a health or medical emergency in the past 12 months, compared to 33% of all adults.
But despite being more likely to confront an emergency, 46% said they were not confident to provide first aid and 26% had never done any first aid training.
The figures were also alarming for adults in general, with 53% not confident to provide first aid and 31% having no first aid training.
The store is the result of an ongoing partnership between Eastland and St John Ambulance Victoria. The space, provided by Eastland under a community rental deal, also has a shopfront selling first aid supplies, including St John Ambulance first aid kits, refills, PPE and other equipment, and is staffed by trained first aiders to help customers with their purchases.
Eastland’s General Manager, Greg Balmforth, said, “Eastland was passionate about the community access to vital first aid training services through the new St John Ambulance store and training hub.
“And first aid training is a vital service that equips people with the skills they need to potentially save a life,” Balmforth said. “The new St John Ambulance store and training space at Eastland makes it more convenient for members of the community to gain these potentially life-saving skills.”
CEO of St John Ambulance, Gordon Botwright, said the opening at Eastland will no doubt save lives.
“We are so pleased to launch an Australian-first for St John Ambulance at a major retail precinct like Eastland. This new space generously provided by Eastland will allow us to reach more members of the community with the knowledge, skills and confidence to save the life of a loved one.”
“By empowering people where and when it’s convenient, such as when they’re out shopping, with the ability to respond effectively in emergencies, together we are addressing a vital skills gap.”
St John Ambulance offers classes for people of all ages at the new store, with courses including Caring for Babies and Kids, CPR, first aid, and mental health support.
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