Have you ever been in the position to save someone’s life? Thanks to the GoodSAM app, that situation could be closer than you think.
On Sunday, January 18, Alan Thomas was driving the short distance to his local shops, when suddenly he experienced a severe medical event.
Stopping his car prompted a 000 call from bystanders, activating the GoodSAM app and ultimately saving his life. If it weren’t for Adam Waddington and his registration on the GoodSAM app, Thomas may not be here to tell his tale.
Thomas was undertaking a usual trip to his local shops, when while driving he unexpectedly had a severe cardiac episode.
Paramedics were called to the scene while Thomas lay almost lifeless on the ground. Meanwhile, just 500 metres away, off-duty flight nurse Waddington was finishing up his shopping when he received a notification on the GoodSAM app, saying someone was in need of assistance.
As any good samaritan would, Waddington raced to the scene to see if he could lend a hand.
“This man on the ground… his face was as blue as the jeans I was wearing,” Waddington said.
After life-saving efforts from both the paramedics and Waddington, Thomas was on his way to hospital in a serious but stable condition. He would regain understanding of his situation two days later while in hospital.
“To be quite frank, I was 99.9 per cent gone except for Adam turning up,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ life was saved thanks to GoodSAM, an app allowing off duty and specialised medical professionals to assist citizens while waiting for paramedics to arrive.
Standing for Good Samaritan, it integrates with the ambulance dispatch service to send notifications to registered bystanders within a 500 metre radius whilst the ambulance is en route.
This groundbreaking technology alerted Waddington to Thomas’ episode, and allowed him to perform live saving maneuvers to get him to hospital safely, making him the 100th person to be saved in NSW using the app.
A press conference was held to commemorate the occasion, and was attended by Minister for Health, Ryan Park, last week.
Despite his valiant efforts, Waddington doesn’t consider himself a hero.
“It’s very humbling to be called that, but ultimately there were other people there that were very much a part of this team as well,” he said.
“It was ultimately the app and the system that enabled me.”
You don’t need formal first aid or CPR training to become a GoodSAM responder. Chest compressions are easy to do, and highly trained NSW Ambulance emergency medical call takers will talk you through it by phone. Anyone aged 18 years or over who is willing to perform chest compressions can register.
To find out more, or sign up, visit http://www.ambulance.nsw.gov.au/goodsam.
Madeline Dantier is the author of the Experience Parramatta series, hosted by Parra News.