Wellington's Lion of Waterloo tavern will be the first location to have a brand new Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) installed as part of a 'heart safe town' campaign by Red Cross Australia.
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The defibrillator was paid for by donations from the Wellington Rotary Club and is set to be installed on Friday April 5.
Local Red Cross First Aid Trainer George Chapman says the Lion of Waterloo was chosen because it's one of the businesses furthest from reliable medical help.
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"Each unit is placed in a local business and staff are trained on how to use it," Mr Chapman said.
"The goal is to have an AED no more than two minutes walking distance apart in high traffic areas of the town."
"The Lion of Waterloo was chosen as the first recipient because of the distance of the hotel from medical help."
Ultimately, Mr Chapman hopes to see AEDs across the main shopping area of Wellington in order to prevent any fatalities due to heart conditions.
"This is an exciting first step in the 'Heart Safe' town campaign for Wellington. My goal is to have at least fifteen AED units installed in the main shopping areas of Wellington," Mr Chapman said.
"This campaign is important as it's estimated that 21 people per day in Australia have a heart attack and quick access to an AED device significantly increases the chance of survival."
The defibrillator units cost approximately $3020 each and are supplied and installed by the Red Cross.
Those looking to donate to the Wellington Rotary Club's fund for further AED units can do so at the Wellington NAB by asking staff to make a deposit to the Rotary Club defib account.
