GoodSam app volunteer Ashlin Fisher saves neighbour in cardiac arrest
- Replies 3
When Geoff Percival collapsed in cardiac arrest and his partner called triple-0, a paramedic was not the first responder; it was neighbour Ashlin Fisher.
A few months earlier, the young mum from Broulee, on the New South Wales south coast, downloaded NSW Ambulance's GoodSam responder application to her phone.
Then the time came to put it to the test.
"It's a very loud, alarming alert … and I realised what it was and I had to run out the door," Ms Fisher said.
When she arrived that fateful day in March last year, 63-year-old Mr Percival was unconscious and his partner was performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
"I explained as best I could who I was and what I was … I asked her to put the phone on loudspeaker … and very quickly I didn't have to make any real decisions, triple-0 was just giving me instructions on what to do," she said.
The frantic triple-0 call recorded the moment Ms Fisher arrived, with the operator responding: "We've got a GoodSam here? OK, alright … we're up to 300 compressions, I need you to keep going until that ambulance arrives."
As Ms Fisher counted the compressions with the operator, ambulance sirens blared in the background and, within two minutes, a paramedic was in the room.
Then the operator said: "Is that the paramedic on scene with you? OK, I'll leave you with them. You've all done a really good job."
Reunion of lifesaver and patient
Mr Percival recently got the chance to thank his good Samaritan.
"I just think it was so lucky that she was able to respond. [My partner] was doing CPR on me … and Ashlin came along and, I think you said, 'Can I take over?' and she said, 'Yes, please,'" he said.
"It was good to have a third person come in and have some idea what to do until the paramedics arrived.
"I think Ashlin is quite significant in the fact I'm still here."
According to NSW Ambulance, it takes a paramedic an average of nine to 10 minutes to reach a heart attack case.
The GoodSam app aims to bridge that gap and is available to anyone 18 or older who can perform CPR.
When needed, an alarm on the responder's phone sounds and the person is asked if they can help. If they can, they receive the patient's address and the location of any nearby defibrillators.
A volunteer on every street
GoodSam began in NSW in 2023 and about 9,600 volunteers have registered since.
NSW Ambulance GoodSam project officer Monika Sitkowski said volunteers had given CPR to 54 patients who had survived.
"We know that for every minute someone doesn't receive CPR, their chances of survival decrease by 7 to 10 per cent," Ms Sitkowski said.
"They're not getting oxygen into their vital organs, especially their brain, so we need to get volunteers who are nearby to start that CPR process and keep them alive until paramedics arrive.
"[GoodSam] is about saving your neighbours. It's about saving your friends and family. There's a huge increase in survival when you've got early CPR to that person in need."
NSW Ambulance said it was aiming for 50,000 registered volunteers across the state.
"That would probably mean that there's a GoodSam responder nearby to every person who goes into cardiac arrest," Ms Sitkowski said.
Versions of the GoodSam app are also used in South Australia and Victoria, while Western Australia's St John Ambulance has a similar app.
Written by Christien de Garis and Vanessa Milton, ABC News.
A few months earlier, the young mum from Broulee, on the New South Wales south coast, downloaded NSW Ambulance's GoodSam responder application to her phone.
Then the time came to put it to the test.
"It's a very loud, alarming alert … and I realised what it was and I had to run out the door," Ms Fisher said.
The GoodSam app alerts users to a nearby heart attack victim in need of CPR. (ABC South East: Christien de Garis)
When she arrived that fateful day in March last year, 63-year-old Mr Percival was unconscious and his partner was performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
"I explained as best I could who I was and what I was … I asked her to put the phone on loudspeaker … and very quickly I didn't have to make any real decisions, triple-0 was just giving me instructions on what to do," she said.
The frantic triple-0 call recorded the moment Ms Fisher arrived, with the operator responding: "We've got a GoodSam here? OK, alright … we're up to 300 compressions, I need you to keep going until that ambulance arrives."
As Ms Fisher counted the compressions with the operator, ambulance sirens blared in the background and, within two minutes, a paramedic was in the room.
Then the operator said: "Is that the paramedic on scene with you? OK, I'll leave you with them. You've all done a really good job."
Ashlin Fisher was only 1 kilometre away from Mr Percival when she received the alert. (ABC South East NSW: Vanessa Milton)
Reunion of lifesaver and patient
Mr Percival recently got the chance to thank his good Samaritan.
"I just think it was so lucky that she was able to respond. [My partner] was doing CPR on me … and Ashlin came along and, I think you said, 'Can I take over?' and she said, 'Yes, please,'" he said.
"It was good to have a third person come in and have some idea what to do until the paramedics arrived.
"I think Ashlin is quite significant in the fact I'm still here."
Geoff Percival credits his survival to Ms Fisher's help. (ABC South East NSW: Vanessa Milton)
According to NSW Ambulance, it takes a paramedic an average of nine to 10 minutes to reach a heart attack case.
The GoodSam app aims to bridge that gap and is available to anyone 18 or older who can perform CPR.
When needed, an alarm on the responder's phone sounds and the person is asked if they can help. If they can, they receive the patient's address and the location of any nearby defibrillators.
A volunteer on every street
GoodSam began in NSW in 2023 and about 9,600 volunteers have registered since.
NSW Ambulance GoodSam project officer Monika Sitkowski said volunteers had given CPR to 54 patients who had survived.
"We know that for every minute someone doesn't receive CPR, their chances of survival decrease by 7 to 10 per cent," Ms Sitkowski said.
"They're not getting oxygen into their vital organs, especially their brain, so we need to get volunteers who are nearby to start that CPR process and keep them alive until paramedics arrive.
"[GoodSam] is about saving your neighbours. It's about saving your friends and family. There's a huge increase in survival when you've got early CPR to that person in need."
NSW Ambulance wants to recruit a GoodSam volunteer on every street. (ABC South East NSW: Vanessa Milton)
NSW Ambulance said it was aiming for 50,000 registered volunteers across the state.
"That would probably mean that there's a GoodSam responder nearby to every person who goes into cardiac arrest," Ms Sitkowski said.
Versions of the GoodSam app are also used in South Australia and Victoria, while Western Australia's St John Ambulance has a similar app.
Written by Christien de Garis and Vanessa Milton, ABC News.
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